Tag: Thomas B. Waltzek

First report of an emerging ulcerative skin disease in invasive lionfish

Figure 1. Eating large, predatory fish harvested from warmer, tropical waters puts consumers at risk for ciguatoxic fish poisoning, and food safety officials in the United States and Caribbean caution against it. The voracious appetite and diverse eating habits of the lionfish suggest it is also a top-order predator species prone to accumulation of ciguatoxins. Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

A disease first reported in the summer of 2017 has been causing skin ulcers in invasive lionfish off the coasts of Florida and the Caribbean. Fish health scientists are investigating this disease, but initial evaluations have not yet found the cause. This 7-page fact sheet written by Holden E. Harris, Alexander Q. Fogg, Roy P. E. Yanong, Salvatore Frasca Jr., Theresa Cody, Thomas B. Waltzek, and William F. Patterson III and published by the UF/IFAS program in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences of the School of Forest Resources and Conservation describes research efforts to discover more about this disease and its potential to spread to other species as well as its effect on lionfish populations, the lionfish fishery, and reef fish communities.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa209

Koi Herpesvirus Disease (KHVD) (VM149/VM113)

Figure 1. Koi with mottled gills and sunken eyes due to koi herpesvirus disease.Koi herpesvirus (KHV) is a highly contagious virus that causes significant morbidity and mortality in common carp varieties. Common carp is raised as a foodfish in many countries and has also been selectively bred for the ornamental fish industry where it is known as koi. The first recognized case of KHV occurred in the United Kingdom in 1996. Since then other cases have been confirmed in almost all countries that culture koi and/or common carp with the exception of Australia. This 9-page fact sheet is intended to inform veterinarians, biologists, fish producers and hobbyists about KHV disease. Written by Kathleen H. Hartman, Roy P.E. Yanong, Deborah B. Pouder, B. Denise Petty, Ruth Francis-Floyd, Allen C. Riggs, and Thomas B. Waltzek, and published by the UF Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, April 2013.
http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/vm113