The Problem With Dwarf Gourami's?

[jayjay]

So after seeing this today, it made me remember about the diseases that I've spoken to people about before.

Just thought the link may be worth showing to people who haven't seen it.

 

[sylvia]

That's very interesting! I wonder if the incidence of this disease is as common outside Australia as is mentioned there. If so, it could well be the cause of many unexplained deaths.

 

[jayjay]

My understanding was there was a mystery bacterial disease spread in fish farms, that would normally kill the fish within 6 months. (That was the short version anyway).

 

[sylvia]

But that's just it - according to the article, it's not bacterial:

The ornamental fish trade is suspected of facilitating the spread of an emerging viral disease that has been identified in Dwarf gouramies and an Australian aquacultured food fish.

It does say this:

Health problems in Dwarf gouramies have historically been blamed on resistant bacterial infections, fish TB and Nocardia-like infections.

It also says:

A test of this primer revealed that around 22% of Dwarf gouramies in Australian aquarium retail stores were infected with the virus, raising fears that the ornamental fish trade may help spread the disease.

and

They found that the Murray cod subsequently (having been living in the same water as dwarf gouramies) tested positive for Megalocytivirus DNA through PCR analysis. The infection with the Dwarf gourami virus resulted in 90% mortality.

Whittington said: "Other species may be susceptible to megalocytivirus infection and act as carriers. For example, Mosquito fish (Gambusia affinis) is widely distributed across Australia and is closely related to poeciliid aquarium species such as Swordtails (X. hellerii) and Mollies (P. latipinna), which are known to be susceptible to infection by megalocytiviruses."

So basicaly, about a fifth of gourami deaths (in Australia at least) could be attributed to Megalocytivirus. The study doesn't encompass other countries but, if just as many gouramies carry this elsewhere, it could be the cause of many deaths that are, usualy, blamed on bacterial infections - which they are not. However, the article highlight the main concern as being the spread of this disease to wild fish populations all over the world (and note that the virus resulted in 90% mortality rates in cod) as this virus (or rather that gouramies get it) was not unheard of beforehand - just the fact that it can infect other species as well was not known.

 

[jayjay]

This is why I thought it should be posted as people like me thought it was bacterial but now there is evidence to suggest differently.

I'd like to see the percentages of deaths caused by this disease in other countries.