PUBLICATION

A Simple and Efficient Protocol for the Treatment of Zebrafish Colonies Infected with Parasitic Nematodes

Authors
Maley, D., Laird, A.S., Rinkwitz, S., and Becker, T.S.
ID
ZDB-PUB-130710-97
Date
2013
Source
Zebrafish   10(3): 447-50 (Journal)
Registered Authors
Becker, Thomas S., Maley, David, Rinkwitz, Silke
Keywords
none
MeSH Terms
  • Animal Husbandry
  • Animals
  • Antinematodal Agents/therapeutic use*
  • Enoplida Infections/drug therapy
  • Enoplida Infections/veterinary*
  • Female
  • Fenbendazole/therapeutic use*
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/drug therapy
  • Intestinal Diseases, Parasitic/veterinary*
  • Male
  • Trichuroidea/isolation & purification
  • Zebrafish/parasitology*
PubMed
23808385 Full text @ Zebrafish
Abstract

Our zebrafish colony experienced a period of increased mortality rate of 6.5 times more deaths per month in a colony of over 13,000 zebrafish (Danio rerio), which developed over 3 months. We observed that before death, affected fish appeared emaciated, often with an abdominal bulge. We performed dissection on 18 fish that had this appearance and found in 15 that their gut was infected with a nematode that closely resembled Pseudocapillaria tomentosa. We devised a treatment protocol for this nematode infection, which involved addition of fenbendazole, a drug used to treat nematode infections in cattle and sheep, to the fish feed. Fenbendazole produced no severe side effects in the fish and several treatments have effectively eradicated the parasite from our colony. The mortality rate of our fish has decreased to a value of 0.7%/month (p<0.001, equal to that before the infection). We propose this protocol as an inexpensive alternative to having to rederive an entire colony from bleached eggs, and as a prophylactic measure used in quarantine facilities on a regular basis.

Errata / Notes
This article is corrected by ZDB-PUB-220906-22.
Genes / Markers
Figures
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Antibodies
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping