Parasites in fish

Parasites are living organisms that exist at the expense of other creatures. Speaking about fish, endoparasites should be isolated. These are the so-called protozoan parasites living in fish.

The very word that denotes living at someone else's expense, sometimes in common parlance is used as a curse. After all, in translation, it means "freeloader". Indeed, the parasites in the fish eat flesh (for example, lampreys) or the blood of creatures - their carriers, weakening the "hosts", making them susceptible to various diseases. In addition, they often destroy the internal organs of these creatures.

Parasites in fish can be tiny, with a size of only 5 microns. But these smallest protozoa sometimes inflict mortal harm on their "masters".

The disease, called cryptobiosis, causes flagellates from the genus Criptobia. These various parasites in fish are similar to each other externally, but the symptoms of the diseases caused by them are extremely different.

Branhiopathic cryptobiosis was brought to us from China with carp. Tiny parasites (14-23 microns) prefer to live and develop on the gill petals of the fish, interfering with her breathing.

First the gills of the affected fish turn very red, and the body itself loses color, is covered with abundant mucus. She becomes sluggish, refuses food and shows signs of suffocation: often floats to the surface, gasping for air. Later, the body becomes very dark.

It is almost impossible to heal fish in a large natural reservoir. But it can be extremely painful if rare specimens of aquarium fish suffer. Then, urgent measures should be taken to prevent all aquarium inhabitants from perishing.

If the protozoa were brought into the aquarium with the infected fish or plants, very soon the first signs of the disease will make themselves felt. All fish in this case should be planted in a separate vessel, where on the first day, treat them with a solution of copper sulfate from the calculation of 1 gram per bucket for 20 minutes.

The second day of fish is treated with formalin, making a solution of 2.5 ml per bucket and keeping the animals in it for half an hour. On the third day, for treatment, fish are given a "bath" with the addition of "malachite green", where they are placed for 5 hours. The solution is prepared from the calculation of 0.006 g per bucket.

Then the floating "patients" can be returned to a common aquarium, during which time all the parasites have already died from hunger. After all, the temperature in the general aquarium should be raised to 25 degrees - the most optimal regime for the activity of these small pests. Not having found to itself the owner, and consequently, having lost possibility to eat, the elementary die.

But these protozoa do not do any harm to human health. It is much more terrible for people to have multicellular parasites of fish - worms living in the belly, in internal organs or in muscle tissue. Eggs of such parasites, along with insufficiently boiled or unroasted fish, enter the human body and begin their life cycle. This disease is called opisthorchiasis. As a result, the human carrier is affected by the liver, pancreas and bile ducts.

The species of parasites living at the expense of fish are extremely diverse. Along with the endoparasites described above, there are also ectoparasites - those that feed on the blood or flesh of fish without penetrating into the animal. These are various crustaceans, mites, leeches, lampreys and fleas.

An interesting specimen is a flea, which clings to the fish's tongue. Gradually, this organ dies off, and its place is occupied by a parasite, which, while continuing to feed on the blood of the fish, at the same time fulfills the role of language in its life. This phenomenon, when the parasite fulfills the function of the body destroyed by it, was discovered only recently and simply shook people! This has not been observed before.

To protect yourself from diseases that cause parasites in the fish, the population should remember that in no case should you eat raw fish.