Treating camallanus worms.

[Godly3vil]

Hey guys I have a mate who has just started keeping tropical fish and hasn't had much luck so far, he keeps just the usual community fish like bn, neons, gourami etc. Every few days he loses a fish for no apparent reason, I told him to maybe treat for worms with prazi and aviverm but it hasn't helped at all. I was over there earlier and was having a good look at his bolivian ram and I noticed 3 small reddish hair like things sticking out of its anus. After a bit of searching online it seems it is camallanus which I understand you use panacur to treat, but with all the conflicting information on the internet I was wondering if anyone here has had any luck dealing with it and what they used at what doses for how long?

Cheers.

[livingart]

were fish treated 3 times a week apart?

[Godly3vil]

He just done his 2nd dose of prazi/droncit. He dosed with aviverm 4 times in total.

From what I have been reading online though neither prazi nor aviverm will effect camallanus, the only thing that works is Fenbendazole which is the active ingredient in panacur. It was definitely camallanus worms that I seen hanging but of the ram.

[Godly3vil]

bump

[Caryl]

This was published in the Aquarium World magazine, Feb 2007. Although Sharn says to contact her, she is no longer a club member so I do not know how how you would do so as she no longer frequents this forum I don't think...

What is Camallanus?

Camallanus cotti is a type of nematode which lives in the lower part of the intestine, its head has a rasping organ on it which is used to drill into the intestinal wall and anchor itself there. These worms and red (due to the blood they feed off), they vary in length, are quite thin and are easily visible- they hang their posterior out the bottom of your fish. By the time you see these worms your fish is quite heavily infested. Females can attain lengths of 10mm or so while males are much smaller around 3mm, the worms you see protruding from your fish are always females.

How is it contracted?

The most common way of contraction Camallanus is via other fish. The nematodes are live bearers and the part of the worm you see is its bottom, it does this so its young fall to the bottom of the tank where they are consumed by fish, copepods, inverts etc. Some people believe the nematode needs an intermediate host but fish to fish contraction is possible. The live young are often passed out with faeces and as many of you have probably experienced some fish like to snack on such things. When an intermediate host is used the fish will often eat the host and contract it this way. If one fish in your tank has Camallanus you can almost guarantee all the others do. You are also able to introduce this nematode via live foods, daphnia are one of the most common culprits as they are often kept outdoors where birds are able to excrete in their waters and this is where initial infestation comes from. Camallanus is easily passed from tank to tank so make sure you wash your hands between touching your tanks and use separate buckets, siphons etc or sterilise thoroughly in between.

What effects does it have on fish?

Camallanus can be fatal in many ways. The nematodes anchor will cause tears in the intestine which leave it open to bacterial infections. The parasite itself does not kill the fish it just weakens them which will leave them open to secondary complications and infections. When the fish try to pass the dead nematodes after treatment it can sometimes block them up and the nematodes will actually start to rot inside the fish, this is why using a mild dose of Epsom salts is recommended to help aid in the passing of the worms. It can cause reduced ability to absorb nutrients and can cause anaemia from blood loss.

How do I treat it?

Some reports suggest of Camallanus being extremely hard to get rid of while others report it to be quite easy. Levamisole Hydrochloride seems to be the favourite to use but I have seen recommendations of Piperazine and Fenbendazole. The dosage for Levamisole is 1.5ml per 7.5L or water when using a 7.5% solution. I obtained a 24% solution so used 1ml per 22L (not exact but close enough). Levamisole is widely used as a pig and poultry wormer and sometimes a sheep drench. NEVER attempt to pull the worms out the fish- this will rip their intestinal lining as they are securely anchored in there.

This is the method I used to treat my fish after doing some extensive reading on the internet-

Do a 90% water change making sure to vacuum the substrate very well as this is where the nematode babies will be. It is reported that the babies can sometimes be in the water body itself so this is partly why such a large water change is recommended.

Add Levamisole at the required dose (I mixed it in a litre of water then poured into the aquariums)

Wait 48 hours (some reports suggested 24 hours, some 72. I decided to go in between). If your fish show signs of not liking the treatment do a water change at 24 hours. My rummies were pale at 48 hours yet the other fish were all fine.

Do another 90% water change making sure to vacuum the substrate really well. Repeat in two weeks.

If they are still infested after the second treatment (do note that they will pass the worms so a water change a few days after treatment is suggested as these can contain eggs, I thought this was re-infestment straight after treating when I saw my rummy nose pass an adult worm) you are able to treat again, Levamisole is a very gentle medication and will not harm your bio filters at all. Experiments have showed that over dosing the medication 5 times showed no ill effects but Levamisole does cause intestinal upset at any dose so it is not advised to OD as it can give the fish diarrhoea. Levamisole is totally safe for sensitive fish like plecos, clown loaches, discus etc.

Fenbendazole is the second most commonly recommended treatment; you soak the fishes food in this and as it goes straight to where it’s needed is often quite successful.

Where do I get the treatments from?

Acquiring correct medications for the treatment of Camallanus can be particularly hard as they are not often available on the shelf. Often taking your fish down to your local vet will not be a viable option as when the fish is stressed the worms will move back into the intestine. I was able to purchase my Levamisole from my local vet; it was on the shelf and was labelled as ‘Avi-Verm’ which is a bird wormer. I was told this isn’t readily available but it is worth checking if your vet is able to acquire some. I obtained my Fenbendazole from a friend who got it from a vet.

If anyone has problems with this nasty nematode and would like to try Levamisole don’t hesitate to contact me, I will do my best to source some as I know the effects (I lost several fish from it). Please note the above is from personal experience and was acquired off many internet pages; please do your own research when it comes to treating fish so you can choose the best treatment method for you.

- Sharn Steadman

Western Bay of Plenty Aquarium & Pond Society (now Bay Fish & Reptile Club)

[Jennifer]

The Camallanus species is an internal nematode so Levamisole should be effective but the parasite has an indirect life cycle so treatment needs to be repeated 3-4 times about a week apart. Free living copopods and crustaceans are intermediate hosts so should be avoided as food for the fish.

Aviverm is a 24% w/v solution of Levamisole hydrochloride (24 grams per 100mls). However, the manufacturer says that it contains between 20 - 30 grams per 100 millilitre of levamisole. This is 200-300 milligrams per millilitre of Aviverm solution. At a dose of 2mg per litre of tank water* this is 1ml per 100L of tank water, rounding up (in other words assuming the medication is a minimum of 200mg/ml, so the maximum dose would be 2.5mg/L).

That is about 0.1ml per 10 litres of tank water so for a 200 litre tank, you would add 2mls of Aviverm doing a large water change after 12-24 hours (or add activated carbon to the filter). Repeat for three treatments.

* Carpenter, J.W., Exotic Animal Formulary 3rd ed.

Levamisole:

Internal nematodes 1-2mg/L x 24 hr bath; or, 10mg/kg PO q7d x 3 treatments. Wear gloves when handling.

External treamatodes 50mg/L x 2 hr bath; or, 4 g/kg feed q7d x 3 treatments. Wear gloves when handling.

Praziquantel:

5-10mg/L x 3-6 hr bath, repeat in 7 days. Take care when treating Corydoras catfish.

[Godly3vil]

cheers guys will pass the info on, much appreciated.