I’ve arrived in Singapore but before I post my thoughts related to this trip lets finish up the biosecurity series by discussing  the development of best health practices in the context of  implementing/developing a biosecurity plan. TMM

There are husbandry practices that promote fish health and well being, and in so doing help support the principles and goals of a biosecurity program.  These help assure healthy stock that are free of stress and are in optimal condition to resist infection. We will review a few of the key aspects of a quality fish health management program.

Routine and reliable visual assessment of the fish is essential. This may be the first line of defense against disease outbreaks within the tanks. Staff should constantly be scanning the fish populations and looking for signs of outright disease, as well as signs of distress or abnormal behavior, both of which may be the first signs of an impending disease outbreak. Affected animals should be moved to a hospital tank for observation and treatment.

Fish holding systems should be designed so that fish can be easily viewed and captured, yet still have adequate hiding spaces. There should be no edges or objects within the tanks or ponds which might injure the fish. Further, all tanks and life support systems should be easy to maintain and service. If systems are difficult to access and clean then it is likely that staff will tend to avoid the optimal level of maintenance and cleaning.

Staff should also be encouraged to frequently wash their hands, particularly when moving from work areas in one fish holding system to another. Hand washing stations and footbaths, soap or other appropriate disinfectants, and paper towels should be easily accessible so that they will be used regularly.

Equipment cleaning and disinfection stations must also be easily accessible to ensure regular use.  A schedule for regular changes of disinfectants must also be initiated. Most of the common disinfectants are inactivated by organic materials, so these solutions should be changed promptly if they are discolored or dirty, even if it is prior to the scheduled change.

Ensure that staff adheres to the principles of isolation and independence of systems. Reducing the number of systems connected to a single central filtration unit, limiting movement of fish from tank to tank, and striving to prevent cross-contamination via water borne, airborne and fomite transmission will enhance the isolation of fish holding systems.

Anything that might stress fish should be eliminated or minimized.  It is the responsibility of staff to be vigilant for any signs of stress in the fish as well as any aspect of the husbandry or system design that might contribute to stress.  Fish density, water quality, water flow, and tank/pond sanitation should be continually monitored to assure they remain in optimal ranges or conditions. Fish should be handled as little as possible, and when handled, all precautions must be taken to assure that the fish are minimally stressed and not injured.

Nutrition must not be ignored. Foods should not only provide a balanced diet, but they must be handled and stored appropriately to assure their continued quality. Poor quality, contaminated, or spoiled foods should be discarded. Nutrition-related diseases, whether due to nutrient deficiencies or food contamination, can impact immune function in fish, reducing their resistance to infection, and impacting the success of your biosecurity plan.  Care must be taken to assure that all fish are receiving an adequate and complete diet.  Items to consider include:

• · Insufficient quantity or intake of food will lead to starvation, causing poor growth, poor survival, increased susceptibility to disease, and a loss of reproductive capacity.
• · An imbalanced diet due to the feeding of one particular food type to the exclusion of all others may lead to deficiencies of certain essential nutrients with diminished survival.
• · Many diets may not meet the needs of certain fish species that have specific nutritional needs or feeding behaviors. Special diets or supplementation of commercial diets may be necessary.  Seek guidance from those familiar with husbandry of the species or from the literature.
• · Be wary of poorly formulated diets. This is a rare problem when good quality, commercially prepared diets are used.
• · Outdated, spoiled, or improperly stored diets will lose nutritional value, and dietary deficits may occur.  These foods should be discarded (Yanong 2001a, Winfree 1992, Roberts 2001).

Dead or sick fish should be promptly culled and examined by trained staff or veterinarians to identify the cause of death or illness so that corrective and preventative measures and treatments can be started. Routine health monitoring of apparently healthy fish may be considered to identify emerging disease issues within a facility before they become a serious problem.

During the daily work routine, staff should address the needs of the most susceptible fish and their holding facilities first, moving to the fish with the highest probability of carrying disease last. Typically this means that the display fish are cared for first, starting with the youngest and moving to the oldest fish. Then staff go to systems holding fish under quarantine. Finally, any hospitalized fish or fish undergoing treatment are attended to. These workers should not go back and work with display fish until the next day. If not possible, that individual should wash well and perhaps change clothes after working with quarantine and hospital fish. Alternatively, facilities may opt to designate one individual that only works with animals under quarantine and treatment and never works with display or holding fish.

Quality Management

A quality management program (aka quality assurance, quality control) is an integral part of any biosecurity plan. It will help assure that the biosecurity practices that are established for a facility are actually put into place and followed.  It is essential that biosecurity practices are used consistently and accurately, and are not just brought out when they are remembered or might help control a problem.  The quality program will instill a sense of routine to the biosecurity procedures, and will assure that employees use the procedures correctly. It also provides a means of checking and verifying. Quality management concepts should permeate all aspects of the biosecurity protocols.  Quality management is the key to a successful biosecurity program.

The basic components of the quality program include written standard operating procedures, training, record keeping, accountability, and audits.  All are important, and none can be neglected.

Summary

A biosecurity program is essential to successful fish production and husbandry. The components of the program address exclusion of pathogens, control of pathogens, and good health practices, and assemble to provide a security system that will help minimize the impact of disease on a fish facility. A successful biosecurity program requires commitment by management and staff to follow operational policies and procedures, continually assess those protocols, and modify them as necessary. A good biosecurity program protects the business by protecting the animals and the customers. Finally, remember that each biosecuity program is tailored to each specific facility. Protocols are developed based upon the diseases risks associated with a particular facility  or market sector, financial and human resources and  facility design limitations.  Remember that implementing some biosecurity protocols is always better than doing nothing. It is always more expensive to implement a biosecuirty plan after a major disease event.

I look forward to your comments.  TMM

While the quarantine system is only as strong as its physical components and the management and husbandry protocols in use.  It is an accepted means to prevent introduction of infectious disease into a fish holding facility. Quarantine, coupled to purchasing from reliable sources, provides a strong level of security from introduction of infectious disease.  But despite the best precautions, it is possible for disease to emerge in a facility.  Breaks in biosecurity do occur. Quarantine failures, contaminated materials, failure to adhere to biosecurity, and simple accidents may result in delivery of pathogens or infected fish into a pristine tank. Managers must be prepared to deal with this situation, working to contain and eliminate the disease from the operation, and conducting a trace back investigation to determine the cause of the biosecurity break.

The methods of containment and elimination of pathogens in a facility are entwined with concepts and procedures that promote fish health and well-being. It is important to promote procedures that will assure the highest level of health in the fish, offering them the best chance to resist infection and disease by pathogens that have entered or persisted in the holding system.

Development of proper pathogen containment protocols requires and understanding of the key modes of pathogen persistence and transmission within an ornamental fish facility.

Pathogen persistence within the facility

Pathogen containment must address the persistence of pathogens within the facility. There are places in a fish holding system in which introduced pathogens may survive and perhaps even multiply. If not recognized and addressed, these persistent organisms will continue to deliver infectious agents throughout a tank or facility.

Consideration of pathogen persistence should include:

• Fish can be asymptomatic carriers of disease. THey carry a disease, show no signs of that disease but may infect other fish in the system.
• Dead and diseased fish, invertebrates, and plants may serve as pathogen reservoirs.
• The water and the life support system can also harbor pathogens. When water quality is poor, some pathogens can multiply in the water column and, if the systems are interconnected, can spread throughout multiple tanks or ponds.
• Pathogens can accumulate in the areas where water and dirt accumulate and  are not easy to clean, disinfect and dry. These would include uncoated or cracked concrete, wooden tank supports, covers and tabletops, gravel pathways and low spots in the floor that are poorly drained. The use of non-porous surfaces, or waterproof epoxy coatings on porous surfaces, may help to eliminate such risks.
• Pathogens can also accumulate on equipment that is not properly cleaned and disinfected between uses.

Routes of pathogen transmission

Once established in a tank, pathogens can be moved to other tanks, systems, or facilities in several ways.  These may mirror the mechanisms that allowed entry of the organism into the facility. This movement can be even more pronounced during a disease outbreak. It is important to consider these routes of pathogen dispersal and some approaches to mitigate these risks.

• Waterborne transmission: Pathogens can persist in water, some for extended periods. This is a concern with respect to incoming water as well as in-place system water. System water can be contaminated through use of untreated or unprotected water sources.  This contaminated water then serves as a reservoir for pathogens within the facility. Proper treatment of the water, through mechanical filtration, chlorination/dechlorination, ultraviolet light, or ozone treatment can destroy potential pathogens carried in the water column.
• Airborne transmission: Airborne transmission of fish pathogens has significant potential for the spread of fish diseases, especially in facilities where holding tanks or ponds are in close proximity without benefit of solid covers or substantial dividers. Water splashing, whether from cascading water, moving equipment, or surface agitation from pumps or aeration, produces water droplets that can be contaminated with pathogens, forming mists that settle over adjacent surfaces, contaminating adjacent tanks or ponds. Drafts or ventilation airflow from open windows, doors, or fans can exacerbate the problem, pushing these water droplets even further.  The risks of airborne transmission can be greatly reduced through the use of solid tank covers and/or splash guards between tanks. In addition, careful attention to splash reduction from pumps or cascades, or when installing or moving equipment or fish will further reduce the risk of aerosol transmission.
• Vector transmission: Vectors are living organisms that may harbor and transmit pathogens from one fish to another. Examples in the aquatic environment include the crustacean parasite Argulus sp. and some species of leeches. Pathogens harbored by these vectors can be deposited on or within fish, and disease may follow.  Vectors often cause disease in their own right. Prevention of vector transmission is best achieved through control of the vectors themselves, either during quarantine or via prompt identification and control in the display or holding system.
• Fomite Transmission: Fomites are inanimate objects on which pathogens can be transmitted from location to location. This can include equipment used in a facility as well as staff and visitors.  Pathogen transmission via fomites usually occurs by sharing equipment between tanks or systems without proper cleaning and disinfection after each use. To prevent this, they must be properly handled and disinfected. Each tank, isolated system, quarantine facility, and site should have its own set of equipment and instruments, including nets, totes, buckets, brushes, scrapers, siphons, and pumps. In addition, each area should have its own cleaning, disinfection, and drying station.
• Pathogen transmission in the feed: Fish foods, whether live, fresh, or frozen, carry the potential for disease transmission if contaminated by pathogens or toxins. All foods must be of the highest quality and obtained from reputable sources that understand the importance of proper feed manufacturing and storage. Just as with newly arrived fish, live foods should be quarantined, examined and treated for any identified diseases before they are used. Fresh and frozen food should be of high quality and not show any signs of spoilage or decay. Commercial feeds should be purchased in lots that can typically be fed out in 6 months, broken up into small packages for weekly or daily use, and properly stored. Feeds should not be fed if they are damp, moldy, or have a foul odor.

Your comments are always welcome. I’d be particularly interested in comments/experiences about various approaches to pathogen containment large import and/or production facilities.  In the next post I’ll share some of our thoughts about implementing biosecurity into a fish health management program. TMM

We attended the Niigata Prefecture Nishikigoi fair in Ojiya City. This was the 50th anniversary of this fair, consequently it was quite a big deal for all involved.

The Niigata Prefecture is north of Tokyo on the island of Honshu. Ojiya city is at the foot of the mountains along the Shinano River.

The show is part of  the prefectures agricultural fair  and is organized by the local koi breeders. It presents an opportunity for the koi breeders in this prefecture to present their  best fish for judging by their peers.  This show is also well attended by many koi dealers and hobbyists from Japan, Europe and the U.S. looking for high quality fish.  A winning fish may command a very high price.

Of course I’m always interested in health management and biosecurity at these shows since they present great potential for stressing the fish and  opportunities for cross contamimation through breaches in biosecurity.

According to the show organizers all koi to be entered in the show are to be held for 3 weeks at a water temperature of 20-25C. PCR tests ( for KHV and SVCv) may also be conducted if warranted.

Farmers exporting or moving koi from their farm are required to screen for KHV and SVCv twice a year. These are considered registered farms. These farmers may only import koi to their farm from other registered farms.

All koi from each breeder are held in a single tank to prevent contact with koi from other breeders fish.

All of this is facilitated by the Niigata Prefectural Inland Water Fisheries Experiment Station. Staff at this facility provide fish health management support, including disease investigations, health inspections, and onsite consultation at the show.

Below are some Images from the show and the show banquet . Finally, a few images of production koi ponds up in the mountains above Ojiya City:

Ojiya city japan – Google Maps

• A relatively new publication from the University of Florida, The Ornamental Fish TRade: An Introduction with Perspectives for Responsible Aquarium Fish Ownership.
• Why are those fish so sparkly? Some research on fish scales and silver spiders.
• Some News regarding fish vaccines: Vaccines could help what’s ailing fish, An Ich vaccine?
• Twenty-one nationalities on this year’s aquaculture MSc courses at Stirling. One of our Aquarium Science Program graduates, Kevin Erickson,  began his MSc program this fall in Aquatic Pathobiology at Stirling.
• Fierce debate opens up on GM salmon. (What do you think about genetically modified ornamental fish such as glofish and the new angelfish? THe creation of such fish does raise a number of potential ethical issues?)
• LSU Veterinary School professor receives award from the American Fisheries Society, Fish Health Section.
• Vertebrate Extinction crisis. Here’s the link to the actual article in Science. See the mention of the Japan meeting in the OFI section below.

From Ornamental Fish International:

CBD CONFERENCE IN JAPAN: Currently the 10th Conference of the parties of the Convention of Biological Diversity is taking place in Nagoya, Japan. OFI is represented at this conference, which is comparable with the CITES conference, by our colleague from OATA (Ornamental Aquatics TRade Association – UK) Keith Davenport. Hot topics for us at this conference are Access Benefit Sharing (ABS) and Invasive Alien Species (IAS). The first topic is about whether commercial users of animals and plants (breeders, traders) will have to pay the country from where the species originates. For instance Discus from Brazil, even though this species is captive bred all over the world. Should breeders in Malaysia, Taiwan or Germany pay a license fee to Brazil? The OFI position is that that they  want to avoid this for pets in general and ornamental fish in particular.

This news is a few months old but I though everyone might find this new discovery interesting. It seems that Ichthyophthirius or Ich, as it is commonly known, has two new species of bacteria that appear to reside within the Ich organism itself.

If you are interested in accessing the original journal abstract or the  article, Endosymbiotic Bacteria in the Parasitic Ciliate Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. Just click on the title. There are also some beautiful images in the paper.

Interesting stuff with implications for further characterizing the role these bacteria may play in fish infections and new approaches to treatment.