Shark and ray diseases

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BT reef sharks

Thank you for your advice. I look forward to learn about bloodsampling from sharks.
The female shark that had not ben eating tock the doxycyklin prepared food yeserday and she is today feling well as far as the owner could se.

Your rekomendation to read Journal of Aquariculture & Aquatic Sciences - Volume 5, Number 3
vas a wery god help to understand more about sharkes.

My best regards from sweden
to you all for all your expert help
I will inform you about this case progress
 
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Fish injections no matter the species would always be at the base of the tail. As Nikki has shown, same for blood sampling.

As for you treatment suggestions, it's not ideal but if it works then so be it. Be very careful using temperature manipulation. Raising the temperature increase the metabolism to be sure but it also skews the pH of the animals blood reducing the immune response. If done carefully and slowly it may help but on average it is something I recommend against. It usually cases more problems than it solves.

As far as dosage/duration, no need. Sharks are very "reactive" to human medications. The antibiotic should show very good results in a short few days.
 
Continue about Black tipped reef sharks
I got the diagnose Pseudomonas infection sensitive to tetracycline from lab on the dead male shark. I put in 100mg Docycycline each other day on the female that had started to eat. After 2 days when it was time to medicate again she did not eat and the following day (1/12) she was found dead. I did autopsy and did find hemorrhage in the stomach and colon and reproductive organs. I took a lot of samples for bacteriology and histology the 1/12 and the laboratory got them the 4/12. From the lab I was told today 4/12 that the pseudomonas on the dead male was a bacteria pathologic for fish Shewanella putifikans a bacteria with G- behavior.
This time the lab. should growth the bacteria in more different agar specialized for this kind of bacteria. Do you know about this bacteria on fish and sharks and if it is curable and then with what ?
The shark had wound on the surface in the front of the Head. petechielle bleedings could be seen on the belly ( could be postmortem)
I can imagine that shewanella could be the course and that I might have speeded up the female sharks sickness with doxycyklin - I´m looking forward to see what grows this time and I do hope to find a reason for her death, something treatable so it will be possible to treat any other shark before arrival to the tank. Bacteriology will take 5 days and Histopathology more than 1 week
I will be in touch.
PS By the way Do anyone know if floxacin preparations is possible to treat fish and sharks, in mammals it might destroy cartilage in growing young individuals. Ds.
 
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Exoticvet - on searching for Shewanella putrefaciens infections, it seems quite a few results include S. putrefaciens with sharks. There was a (rare) case report where a human ingested poorly cooked shark meat and became sick after 8 hours. The cultures showed an infection of S. putrefaciens along with other bacterias.

Here is a quote: Polymicrobial Bacteremia Caused by Escherichia coli, Edwardsiella tarda, and Shawanella putrifaciens

S. putrefaciens is susceptible to a wide variety of common antibiotics that target gram-negative bacteria.(9,10) Two multiple drug-resistant isolates have been previously reported,(9) and empirical therapy using a combination of piperacillin and amikacin or gentamicin is suggested. (9)
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I don't know that this post will help (this is a human case), but I found the information interesting. Sorry to hear the female didn't make it, but hopefully Steve or others can give you good advice on treatments in quarantine.

 
Shewanella putrefaciens would explain how the shark is getting sick at least. This bacteria is actually very common with decaying fish. The food source is being used is contaminated. Be sure it is disposed of along with the container (or bleached) and a new feed stock secured. It is also very important the keeper practice safe handling/storage of these kinds of meats or the same problem will peresist.

As I mentioned earlier, Gentamycin would be the preferred med but there is the potential to do more harm than good. There is no reason why the Doxycycline should be an issue here. exoticvet, do you have access to Neomycin or Kanamycin?
As Nikki noted, this bacteria is easily beaten with many types of gram negative antibiotics.
 
Hello Steve
I do not get (neomycin,Kanamycin) as ordinary recipe drugs in Sweden, but I can try to get it as a license drug if it will be useful for sharks/fish, but this will take time before authorities has made there paperwork.
But I can get Tobramycin,Gentamicin,Amikacin and Netilmicin in the same group of aminoglukoside antibiotics.
Flurokinoloner are very good against G - rods but enrofloxacin (Baytril) much used for animals should not be used in Young growing animals as it can destroy cartilage in joints .Sharktreatment ???
Regards from sweden
 
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Hello Steve
I can get Amikacin injection solution 250mg/ml pH 4.5
What do you suggest as dose /Kg to sharks.
regards from Sweden
 
Given the potential problem with the kidney's, 5mg/kilo every 8 hours. The usual dose is 7.5mg/kilo every 12 hours but I think there's risk of impairing the renal system.
 
Hello Steve the female died 2 dayes after she had doxycycline 100mg to 8 Kg shark. and now i have got lab results- please take a look and give me a hint

Blacktipped Shark diseas ?? in Sweden

Now have I got the results from pathology and bacteriology of the 2 dead BT sharks

The male shark that died frirst on this one we found macroscopig bleedings in the gonopodie and testes. Bacteriology from testes did show Shewanella putrefaciens.
3 G- rods bacteria were grown all sensitive to Oxytetracycline, Florfenicol and Nalidixic acid.
Workin hypotes is : Stress I conection to many changes in environmet and a latent (opurtunistic bakterie infection ) that could be fatal when the immune defens goes down bay stress.
The time from delivery in Holland and transport 600 km to Sweden and change of water
Might have been the reason for the deth of a little to old and big-sized shark .Unlucky we hope.

The female that had not been eating for 4 weeks and then started to eat with 100 mg Doxycyckline in her food the second feed- dyed 2 days later.
She had wounds in her front - Bakteriology negative
Pathology : kronic changes on her geels with adherences and proliferations – could explain why she was swimming towards the water outlet.
In the spiralintestine was found bleeding in the lumen
Kidneys – edema ( cellempty spaces)
Ovarys – inflammatory changes as edema and bleeding.

After those answers I have lerned a lot byt have not found any black and white answer but my gryscale is divering in this area.

Do you have any ideas about those answers and the history behind – Have you more you could lern me and other on the reefs.

PS. The owner is optimistic and have bought 3 new BTsharks, yunger and so far looking healty – they have been in the aquarium for 2 week now and he tock severel houers to
Move vater and shark from transport to the tank this time. And they came from an other
Seller. Ds

Merry Christmas greatings from sweden
 
this thread was an awsome read i really enjoyed it althopught i dont know all the medecines its a very good topic

is there any possobility of getting apictuer of this tank
thanx from australia to sweden
 
exoticvet said:
Do you have any ideas about those answers and the history behind
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply!!

Unfortunately there is no insight I can offer that would conclusively pinpoint to the cause of the problem(s) without a lot of testing (foods/facilities etc) from the time of capture to end point. The most likely causes however are going to be food contamination and/or environmental concerns (water quality/improper handling/facility set up).

How are the newest additions?
 
BT reef sharks

To end up the story about the 2 dead BT reef sharks in sweden. The female that arrived at the same time but has been eating al the time is still well. 3 more small BT sharks has been bought and so far no problem.
(By misstake a have 2 replyes )

Regards from sweden
 
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The conclusion we got from the dead sharks was that they was under stress after 1000km transport with not the best water quality and carring some
shewanella bakteria in the intestine after "bad foodfish" after the transfer to the new tank(100m3) with an other quality of water new stress and a growth of the shewanella to a reproductiv organ infektion- sepsis and dead.Next transport we will ask for water quality parameters before transport and take ouer own as the transport arrive to se the differense during the transport.
Dou you have any more to add or any other wy of the story.
My best regards an thank you for a wery good help to knowhow about sharks.
Regards from sweden

Ps. to store fish you have to keep it frosen in 25 degres C or colder. the quality of the fish as food will be destroyed in -18 degres C Ds.
 
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