Fungal infection?

[Della]

Hey guys,

Last weekend I noticed that my axolotl was scratching her gills. I had never noticed this before and she was doing it pretty frequently. I thought I'd better monitor it, as I suspected that it might progress to a fungal infection.
Sure enough, earlier this week i noticed a bit of white growth on her gills. The growth hasn't spread all that much, just a few very small specks, but it seems very weird. I noticed the white growth floating around the tank. It also seems that the white growth is easily dispatched. An intense gill flick sends it flying, as does eating. At this minute, there is no visible infection, as she has just been fed. Is this normal? Could it be simple shedding?
If it is a fungal infection, what should I do? She isn't displaying any signs of stress at all (no forward gills,curled tail, erratic swimming), she is still eating everyday and the water parameters are fine (ammonia=0, nirite=0, nitrate=40). She has also stopped scratching.
Do i leave it and let it sort itself out/ wait till it progresses or should I act now?? I am hesitant to give her a salt bath, as I don't want to stress for something that may be pretty minor.

Thoughts?

I have attached some photos. Sorry about the poor quality, I had to take them with my phone as my card reader is playing up. Very hard to get a good picture because the infection is so small, but I have circled what I managed to find in red.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Paul,

Persistant scratching around the gill region normally indicates some irritation. The possibilities are poor water chemistry, a fungal infection (saprolegniasis), a bacterial infection, or even protozoa/parasites such as Oodinium (velvet disease), Vorticella or Charchesium. All of these infection can look quite similar being a fuzzy grey/white covering around the gill region. Skin shedding tends to occur in patches around the entire body (skin) rather than restricted to gills. Sometimes regenerating gills/scar tissue can resemble a 'lesion', however they can't be rubbed off with movement.

As your water chemistry is really good, i highly doubt its a water chemistry issue. Since the axie is feeding and behaving normally otherwise, an acute bacterial/protozoa infection is also less likely as they would tend to present with other clinical signs as well such as surfacing more frequently for air exchange.

Since we are experiencing a cold spell in Australia at the moment, high water temperature is definitely not an issue. Fungal infections however do tend to thrive better in cold water rather than warm water (opposite from bacterial and protozoa). At this point, i would actually recommend you do nothing but monitor your axie closely for 1 to 2 weeks. If you notice any signs of deterioration, immediately pop it in the fridge and take some photos to put up here.

Fungal infections as well as protozoa infections by any of the 3 protozoa can all be effectively treated by salt baths. We will cross the bridge if we have to then.

Cheers.

 

[Della]

Thanks once again for your fantastic advice Ray. I'll keep you posted. Is there anything else I should be looking for, in terms of behaviour, symptoms ect, that could help with a diagnosis?

 

[Della]

Alright, so I think I know what is causing her irritation. I had a close look at the tank today and there seems to be some sort of colony growing on the glass. They are white and there are two types, one looks like a mite and the other looks like a worm. I think they will be too small to get a pic. No real change to her condition. She seems a little sluggish, but its been cold here, so its not suprising. Her gills are still the same.

Any ideas?

Cheers

Paul

 

[ianclick]

Hi Paul,

Have a look here Caudata Culture and see if you can identify what type of invaders you have, without a photo it is hard to determine accurately

 

[Della]

Thanks Ian,

From the link that you sent me, and from what I have gathered from the net, I am thinking that they are either planaria or threadworm. The worms are white and about 0.5cm long and aren't very numerous. There are still a lot of the mite-looking think jumping about. They are also white and couldn't be more than 0.5mm. Some of them look like they have 2 segments. Could these be the larval stages of the worm?
I have also noticed some sac looking things on the glass too, but they seem to be motionless (other than water flow movement).
Do I try an wipe the critters off or should I just leave them? The axl seems ok, no evidence the growth is spreading. She is a little dopey, but I think thats more because of the cold than anything else (and possibly her dopey nature!).
Sorry about the lack of photo, I have been tryin for about an hour and I still can't seem to get anything.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Darkmaverick]

HI Paul,

Most tank critters do no harm and can be left alone. If you observe any clinging on to the axie's skin or gills etc., then it might be a problem and eradication may be necessary. Would you be able to take some photos?

Cheers.

 

[ianclick]

Hi Paul I agree with Rayson.

There would be no harm in removing them, from an asthetic point of view I would.

 

[Della]

Thanks guys,

I have attached the best photos I could manage of a couple of the things I have mentioned in earlier posts.
I managed to get a reasonable picture of the mite-like organisms living on the glass. You can clearly see the dual segments I mentioned. They are far more prevalent than the worms ( I was unable to get a good picture of these)
I have also attached a pic of the "sacks". They picture lacks detail, so I'll describe them. On close inspection, they are kinda of u shaped and attached to the glass by a tail (so really they are Y shaped).
I also got a good picture of the growth on her gills. It has seemed to spread a bit over the weekend, with her right side more affected and possibly some gill loss. She has also been gulping air a little more frequently than normal, but I wouldn't say that it has been excessive
I have also noticed some similar white growth on some of the plants and on the filter. It looks like spiderweb.
In terms of wiping off the critters, do I just use a new sponge and then throw it out, or is there something better to use?

Thanks again

Paul

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Paul,

The first picture with the worms appear to look like planaria. In most instances, you can just leave them be and they shouldn't be a problem. If they bother you, you can try reduce their population by ensuring you keep your tank free of detritus, uneaten excess food and such. If you notice the planaria are having an adverse effect on the axies such as witnessing planaria attached to axie skin and gills causing obvious discomfort to the axie, then eradication is indicated.

You can choose to bait planaria. Scraped beef is put into a gauze sac and hung among plants and close to the gravel. Light should be switched off. The gauze sac will attract Planaria that will gather on it in a few hours. The sac is removed from the aquarium (hold the net under the sac to prevent Planaria falling back into the aquarium) and put into boiling water. Repeat this for several evenings to ensure that young planaria that have hatched from eggs are eradicated.

Here is a link to another discussion post i had sometime back on planaria. This has more details.
http://www.caudata.org/forum/showthr...lanaria&page=2

The white sacs on the glass i thought looked a bit like limpets.Limpets are related to snails and normally don't dart about but remain quite motionless on the glass. Some tiny snail eggs also appear to be like sacs on tank surfaces. They are normally quite harmless.

If you see tiny white fleck like things darting about in the water, they could be copepods, ostracod or non-parasitic mites. Again they are usuall harmless.

White spiderlike growth on plants and filter could be rotting plant detritus or even some form of moss. Could you take some photos?

You can just siphon and use a tank glass wiper to remove any visible 'critter'. Do avoid overt excessive cleaning though because you still want to preserve the good bacteria (bioslime) on the glass surface.

The growth on the gill certainly don't look normal. They don't look fungal to me. Since you mentioned that there was irritation, gill loss and compromised gaseous exchange (more surfacing for air), i think it is worth investigating further. So are both gills affected with similar presentation? Are there any lesions on the skin? I am frankly beginning to suspect if ectoparasites are causing a primary irritation that led to a secondary bacterial involvement.

The best way to accurately diagnose the lesion would be to bring it to a vet who can do a fine needle aspirate or even biopsy for laboratory analysis.

Cheers.

 

[Della]

Wow! Looks like I have a whole raft of critters living in the tank. Glad to know that they all seem harmless.

I've attached a photo of the filter (see white matter within the grooves). I think your suggestion that it is rotting plant matter is spot on the money, there was some dead plant matter about and it seems to be similar on the filter.

The growth on the gills is really hard to describe because it is always changing. While writing my last post, it was quite prominant, on both gills and there was probably 5 little outbreaks. Now it looks like there is less and mainly on her left side. Looking at her now, i'm not exactly sure whether there has been substantial gill fillament loss and I haven't seen her scratch for about a week, which would be consistent with your initial irritation/subsequent infection theory. She is definately surfacing more frequently than usual and I just saw her in a frantic state trying to get up for air, like she forgot to breathe or, at least, was really struggling for o2.
The growth seems to be interwound within her gill filaments and looks like clothes lint (see pic).
As for lesions, She did have a small scratch on her nose at one point, but that has long healed and had healed before the growth appeared. Other than that she is clear, as far as I can tell.

I just watched some of the growth come off too. Would it be useful to get a sample of it for the vet?

Do you still recommend taking her to the vet? I am a little hesitant to do so as her behaviour hasn't changed much since I noticed the growth (i.e no signs of stress, still eating, still deficating ect) and I am worried that moving her will dislodge the growth, making it difficult to get the vets opinion, but you'd know a lot better than me, so I am happy to go with your opinion.

Should I fridge her in the mean time?

Thanks again

Paul

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Paul,

The picture of the filter does appear to me as just some rotting plant detritus. You would need to remove detritus regularly as they can cause water chemistry issue and provide 'nutrients' for tank critters. Presence of tank critters can paradoxically indicate that the water chemistry are well maintained. Like mentioned earlier, most are harmless.

I am not sure if the greyish haze over the gill region is due to the glass surface, light refraction artifact or true on the axie. Presence of a mucus or grey coating over the gill region is indicative of gill irritation and possible parasite involvement. To be on the safe side, i would recommend the following.

The most cost effective, practical and least invasive strategy for you right now, is to fridge the axie with clean dechlorinated water for 3 weeks. You would need to perform daily water changes and monitor for progress or deterioration. If you notice any signs of deterioration despite a week of fridging, you would probably need to bring it to a vet.

I would actually recommend you commence salt baths at this stage. Besides fungal infections, salt baths are actually effective with ridding protozoa and ectoparasites and have some antibacterial properties. Salt baths are rather straightforward. Basically just prepare a tub of fresh dechlorinated water and dissolve 2 to 3 flat teaspoonfuls of non-iodized salt per litre of water. You can use salt such as kosher salt, freshwater aquarium salt or sea salt. Do not use table salt. You can then place your axie in the salt solution for about 10 minutes but no longer than 15 minutes per session. Excessive salt solution soaking can cause damage to the axie's gills and skin. Have a look through this article as well.

http://www.caudata.org/cc/articles/salt.shtml

To summarise, fridge and salt bath your axie. The combination of treatment can be effective in treating any suspected protozoal/parasite problem and palliate any secondary bacterial infection that can possibly resolve via the axie's own immunity.

If after 3 weeks, the condition persists, you would require veterinary intervention, whereby the vet can obtain a sample to definitively diagnose the problem.

Do you keep other axies in the same tank? How are the rest responding? Are they affected?

Cheers.

 

[Della]

Thanks again,

She's my only axie, so no issues with tank mates.

I'm going to set the fridge up tomorrow, so she should be in on Wednesday. I have fridged her successfully before, so I am well aware of the process.

Couple of quickies about the salt bath:

How often for the salt bath??

It doesn't mention it in the article, but I'm assuming that you need to make the salt solution cold too before putting the axie in to minimize thermal stress?

It says to disinfect the habitat in the article. Do I need to do this? What does it involve?

Heres a weird one for you. I'm a PhD student at a uni here at Melbourne and have access to a rather good microscope/camera. Is it worthwhile taking a sample of the "fluff" to take a look? I managed to get some off her, so I could mount it and take a few snaps. Obviously, I'd send you the photos as I'm well out of my depth in terms animal pathology, but would that be of any use?? Or is the treatment going to be the same regardless.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Paul,

For the first 3 days, I would start out with 2 salt baths per day. Try to space them out as evenly as possible in terms of interval (ie. 9 am, 9pm) whatever best suits your schedule. An hour or 2 off is fine. There is no point for example in two salt baths in succession 3 or 4 hours apart. If you can gently tease off any flaking/peeling lesions that is also fine. You can do so gently with a cotton Q-tip. Roll the Q-tip towards you to gently lift away at the lesion rather than prod at it or roll inwards which can damage the skin.

Monitor the progress and response of the axie during the salt baths. From the 4th day onwards, reduce down to once per day until the end of the week. Continue to monitor. I anticipate a marked improvement by day 3. If by end of the week, the salt baths and fridging did not improve the condition, again a vet appointment will be necessary. The axie will struggle a bit in the salt bath. This is to be expected. Do not leave the axie longer than 15min. I would recommend 10min per soaking time.

You can prepare one or two bottles (1 or 1.5 L bottle) of salt solution in the fridge. The most convenient time to do salt baths will be during your daily water changes. As the salt solution is fridged, there will be minimal thermal stress.

I would prefer you to hold back on disinfecting your main tank for now. The salt and fridge therapy i recommended for your axie is 'emphirical' and targets fungus, some protozoa, parasites and bacteria. As we do not have definitive diagnosis of the aetiological agent, disinfecting the entire tank may be a bit too drastic for now. Once you disinfect your tank, you would have to cycle the tank all over again. Furthermore, if aetiological agent is found to be commonly occuring in the enviroment (saprophytic/commensal), the disinfection would be counter productive.

If you can obtain a sample of the lesion, that would be great. I would prefer you to obtain the sample prior to salt baths. The salt baths may crenate or lyse cells and hence destroy any microscopic elements. Again you can use a moist Q-tip for sample collection. Do you have access to sterile swabs/q-tips? One possible problem is that there may be contamination otherwise which can complicate the interpretation of the results.

I assume you are referring to light microscopy. Are you familiar with microbiological staining methods? A very fine dab of sample is all that suffice. Too much sample will cause artifact due to superimposing of cells and tissue. In order for the cells to be visualised, you might need to perform a diff quik stain or gram strain. A 40X and a 100x (oil immersion) magnification is needed to detect bacteria, fungal and/or protozoal elements. You can then take a photo of them and email to me.

Cheers.

 

[Della]

She is looking a lot better today, hardly any lesions. Is it normal for this sort of condition to come and go like this?

I am not really that familiar with microbiological stain, however, I have a colleague that I can try and convince to help me out. I managed to get a sample of the white "fluff" after an intense gill flick. It is currently sitting in a transfer pipette that I use to clean the tank. Is it still viable if it sits in there for a few days, or do I need to stain it right away?

Sorry to be a pest, but one final question. I am going away for the weekend and therefore, probably wont be able to do salt baths for 3 days straight. Going Friday morning, so I'll probably be able to get 2 days in. Will this suffice, or should I hold off and fridge her for now, then start treatment when I arrive back next Monday?
( i'll will have someone feeding and changing the water daily, however, asking them to do salt baths may be pushing it!!!)

I'll make sure that I take a photo of her gills before she goes into the fridge, that way you can look without the glass interfering.

Thanks again

Paul

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Paul,

Normally microbiological samples have to also be 'fixed' before staining. I would think under these circumstances, the hassle and confusion might actually result in slides that may be difficult to interpret. I do not think its practical at this stage.

You can go ahead with the salt baths and then pop the axie back in the fridge. You can resume the baths when you get back.

Depending on the nature of the lesions, sometimes they are rather friable and can be flicked off easily. That doesn't mean it has 'healed' as microscopic remmnants may still be present. The fuzzy grey/white coating on the gills is still a concern.

Cheers.

 

[Della]

Howdy all,

Thought I'd give you an update:

Had to stall in putting her in the fridge, as the bar fridge I use kept getting too cold with the weather we have been having over the last few weeks (fridge was -2 - 0!!!).
Once I sorted the temp, she went in on Thursday night following a salt bath.Gave her another on Friday morning. As i was away over the weekend, I resumed salt baths last night and plan to give her 2 a day until Wednesday, then 1 a day for the rest of the week.

I have noticed that there is less and less of the white fluff in the water everyday and I haven't seen any on her actual gills for a few days. The first couple of days there was heaps in the water, but now there is a lot less.

Ray, I took these pics during her first salt bath (thursday night). I couldn't see much, but I'll leave you to make your own mind up.

Cheers

Paul

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Paul,

Yes it does look better. Continue with the regime.

Cheers.

 

[Della]

Hey guys,

Another update:

She has now been in the fridge for 8 days and, as of Wednesday, I cut the her salt baths back to one per day. I have noticed since then that the amount of white fluff in the water has increased dramatically and I think I have noticed some gill filament loss (i'm not sure, as I may just be paranoid! See pics).

I figured the increased abundance of white stuff in the water may be due to the fact that I am now only changing her water once daily, therefore, there would be a tendancy for it to build up. However, I am concerned over the potential gill loss. Do these kind of things have a tendancy to get worse before they get better?

Or do you think this is a sign of increased pathology and, if so, a trip to the vet?

Cheers

Paul

 

[Darkmaverick]

Hi Paul,

The latest photos actually make the lesions appear rather caseous. It is not fungal like. It could be a parasite problem or even bacterial. To be on the safe side, i would say a trip to the vet is good.

Cheers.