Re: NANFA-- Antibiotics

Pete Liptrot (coelacanth_at_btinternet.com)
Wed, 13 Nov 2002 19:24:31 -0000

>It is a very real concern for all aquarists that we, (and I), have taken
for granted. Many >eople may have it in your aquarium systems and if you
chronically loose fish to
> deformity, wasting away, open lesions, etc, you may be doomed.
There are at least a couple of Public Aquaria I am aware of where Piscine TB
is pretty well entrenched. As Nick says though, this is a separate issue
from the one of AB resistance.
Myco is one of the few zoonotic concerns we have in the Aquarium hobby, and
it is a real 'Health and Safety' concern, to the extent that I am not
allowed to recommend to students on work experience that they suck-start
siphons (although I then set a bad example by always doing exactly that). I
must admit I rely on a diet high in garlic, chilli and alcohol to kill off
any such bugs. Not very scientific but it's fun and it seems to have
worked!.
It is having an extreme impact on some conservation/research initiatives,
including Seahorses, Cichlids, Killies and Goodeids, although there are
indications that husbandry may play a part in this.

> The best cure for a system infected with Myco is to euthanize everything
(not the
> aquarist of course!)
Oh, I don't know, there are a few who might benefit......

>and use a 10% bleach solution on all equipment.
Unfortunately very true, and even then the possibility of missing something
is quite high. It would be interesting to run a simulation by putting a
compound in an 'isolated' tank that will fluoresce under UV light, and then
go round after a week with a portable lamp and see how far traces of that
water had got spread.

> The best way to make an antibiotic effective is to get it in the fish,
> either through medicated food or injection. I never used to believe that
> they work but over the past several years of working closely with a vet, I
> am convinced that they do work.
Same here, when used properly they can be very effective, and it is true
that the fewer barriers they have to get through the better, so injection or
through food are the most effective ways to deliver this.
Antibiotics are available by prescription only over here in the UK, and
that's the way I'd like them to stay. Our vet at work is one of the longest
established zoo vets in the UK, and I thoroughly trust what he says based on
his long experience in zoological and aquaculture situations. He says that
antibiotic resistance really is something to worry about for both animal and
human health, and that's all I need to know on the issue.
Pete.
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