funny head please help

we have had our two axolotls for 8 months and they have so far been very healthy pets. for the past day however hugo (pictured) has developed a bizarre red lump head which is transparent in the centre with what appears to be a black line(look like a worm??) he has also completely gone off his food and will not interact with us at all, his brother on the other hand is fine so would that rule out a bacterial/fungal problem? the water chemistry in their tank is pretty much perfect but we have had a little trouble keeping thr water temp low it is currently at 20c. doe anybody have any suggestions we hate seeing our hugo so distressed!
kate

pictures

sorry, here they are

Looks to me like a dermatophytic fungal infection, Red ring, spreading radially, leaving scarred tissue in the middle.
Not unlike ringworm or athletes foot on a human.
maybe Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis....
Causes Chytridiomycosis.
It Sometimes occurs in the pet trade, particularly among frogs like Xenopus spp.
Huge in Australia, wipes out whole populations of amphibians.
But then wait for an expert, I'm just guessing.
Based on the fact it looks like what I would assume a dermatophytic fungus would look like on an axolotl.
then I looked up "dermatophytic" and "amphibian"
Tah dah.
So no, I'm not going from practical experience, just shooting from the hip.

also, how deep it that water? The filter looks submerged, but that rock sticking out suggests the water is rather shallow.
Is there any way he might have abraded his cranium? you haven't pet him with your fingertip on the noggin have you? That could spread a nasty infection if you touched something else that day.
Just because one inhabitant has it and not the other, doesn't mean the other wont if you do not isolate the sick animal.

its a bacterial infection. You should go to a vet to get some antibiotics.

thanks a lot guys, he now has grey fluffy stuff on his head so it looks like its off to the vet with hugo.....

Hi Kate,

Your axie has an ulcerative lesion with central area that looks almost like 'melting/weeping' (primary bacterial infection) as well as a secondary fungal infection (fuzziness). Regular fridging and salt baths although beneficial, is not sufficient to effectively treat the condition. Veterinary intervention is necessary.

If you have other axies in the tank, i do recommend you isolate your ill axie to faciliate easier monitoring as well as prevent spread of diseases. Also, please be very careful with handling your axie. Avoid touching the axie with your bare hands or fingers. Use a container to scoop up your axie to transport it whenever necessary. Wash your hands thoroughly and do not rub your eyes or put your fingers in your mouth after handling the axie.

There are some types of very resistant bacteria that cause cause ulcerative melting lesions that are zoonotic and can spread to humans.

Cheers.

Wow you are so right! This is exactly what we were told and are now treating Hugo with melafix and pimafix-the people who we originally bought him from recommended this and were really helpful. When we contacted a vet they didn't want to prescribe anything, which I thought was a little lame.....he is actually looking a lot better, his head is much less angry and furry, though I am sure it will take time to get him back to normal. We are, as I must say, always have been very strict on the hand washing front (to think we could have caused this *sucks*) and hopefully he will be well asap-thanks a lot guys! x

hey rayson, how is MRSA on jumping the amphibian gap?
I imagine it would be devastating.

Hi Mitch,

Methicillin resistant staph aureus are rare pathogens in axolotls. (I have not seen one but theoretically can happen). I cannot say for other amphibian species. This is because the majority of bacterial infections in axies are gram negative rods - pseudomonas, aeromonas etc. Hence a lot of abscesses in axies tend not to produce overt purulent discharge characteristic of staph and strep infections.

The environment for axies to live in (fully aquatic, cold) tend not to support the growth of MRSA. MRSA is more of a human pathogen, especially nosocomial infections. Staph aureus is a commensal microflora on human skin. This is another reason why we should avoid touching axies with our hands. Bacteria not normally found on axies can be transferred to them this way. The impact of MRSA on axies though would be grave as MRSA are resistant to beta lactams, cepholosporins etc. and the only types of antibiotics capable of treating them have detrimental adverse effects on axies.

I was more worried of mycobacteria and pseudomonas for this case in particular. They both have the capacity to cause melting ulcerative wounds and are equally nasty in terms of resistance. They are extremely resistant to a lot of antibiotics. I have seen pseudomonas swimming in a pool of dettol under the microscope.

Cheers.