Principles of fish health management: fish diseases, disease prevention and control

Abstract

Fishes, like the other animals, are subject to a wide spectrum of diseases. Diseases of fishes require a somewhat different approach to problem solving than diseases involving terrestrial animals. Aquatic animals are in an entirely different environment than the air-breathing animals. Fishes are poikilotermic, and their internal biological systems are tremendously altered by water temperature. Their internal and external biology is also altered by the other physical factors of the environment: pH, osmotic pressure, dissolve gas, ions or elements and others. These factors also determine if an etiological agent (disease-causing agent) can and will cause disease among fishes. Therefore, the fish disease diagnostician must have a broad knowledge of aquatic environment in order to relate clinical findings to disease entities. [Extract]