An overview of diseases in commercial fishes in Punjab, Pakistan

Abstract

The present paper is a brief account of the diseases of carps and ornamental fish observed in Punjab. Six species of cultured cyprinids namely, Labeo rohita (rohu), Catla catla (catla), Cirrhinus mrigala (mrigal), Hypophthalmichthys molitrix (silver carp), Ctenopharyngodon idella (grass carp), Hypophthalmichthys noblis (bighead carp) and six ornamental fish species namely, Carassius auratus (goldfish, comet, shubunkin, oranda, black moor, fantail), Cyprinus carpio (koi carp), Poecilia reticulata (guppy), Poecilia sphenops (molly), Xiphophorus maculatus (platy) and Xiphophorus helleri (sword tail) were examined and were found to bear a range of mild to serious parasitic, fungal and bacterial infections. Parasitic infections were caused by: protozoans (i.e., Ichthyophthirius multifiliis, Trichodina sp., Chilodonella sp., Ichthyobodo sp., Piscinoodinium pillulare, Tetrahymena sp., Epistylis sp.); monogeneans (i.e., Dactylogyrus sp., D. vastator, D. extensus; Gyrodactylussp., G. turnbulli); digeneans (i.e., Posthodiplostomum cuticula; Cryptocotyle ps.), enmatodes (i.e., Camallanus sp., Capillaria sp.); crustaceans (Lernaea cyprinacea, L. polymorpha, L. oryzophila, L. ctenopharyngodonis, Argulus foliaceus), and water mold/fungal infections (i.e., Saprolegnia sp., Achyla sp., Aspergillus spp., Penicillium sp., Alternaria sp., Mucor sp., Rhizopus sp., Blastomyces sp.). Bacterial diseases such as those responsible for motile aeromonad septicaemia, fin rot and hemorrhagic ulcers on skin are also reported from some carp and ornamental species. Lernaeasis was most prevalent disease in cultured carp; whereas the protozoan and monogenean infections were prevalent on ornamental fish.