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Fish Disease Diagnostic Laboratory
Services Available
 The Fish Disease
Diagnostic Laboratory at the UF/IFAS Tropical
Aquaculture Laboratory (TAL) offers a wide range of services.
A water chemistry analysis and necropsy
(including initial bacterial culture) are the
basic services required in most cases. Lab
personnel work with the client to determine if
further tests are needed or desired. Most tests are performed on-site though some
procedures, such as histological processing and
virology, are conducted by off-site
laboratories. As with any veterinary
practice, the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory
adheres to a strict policy of client
confidentiality.
Water
Chemistry Analysis
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Standard Freshwater Analysis |
Standard Saltwater Analysis |
- pH
- Total
ammonia nitrogen (TAN)
- Un-ionized
ammonia (UIA)
- Nitrite (NO2)
- Chloride
- Total
Hardness
- Total
Alkalinity
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- Salinity
- pH
- Total
ammonia nitrogen (TAN)
- Nitrite (NO2)
- Nitrate (NO3)
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Additional
Available Tests |
- Carbon
Dioxide
- Conductivity
- Hydrogen
Peroxide
- Iron
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Live Exam with External Tissue Biopsies
 Live exams may be
performed on fish which cannot be sacrificed,
such as valuable broodstock, large stock
enhancement fish, or fish for exportation.
Evaluation includes a gross visual exam and
microscopic examination of gills, fin, and skin.
Blood for bacterial cultures may be collected
from large fish. It is important to note
that a live exam is relatively narrow in scope
and may or may not result in a definitive
diagnosis.
Necropsy
 A necropsy is a
post-mortem (after death) examination of an
animal. Whenever possible, a minimum of
four live, sick fish should be submitted to the
laboratory. Fish are evaluated during a gross
visual exam, and gill, fin, and skin samples are
taken for microscopic examination while the fish
are still alive. After the fish are
euthanized, the brain and posterior kidney of
three to four fish are cultured for bacteria.
The spleen, liver, and other tissues may also be
cultured in large fish. Following
bacterial cultures, complete gross and
microscopic exams of the internal organs are
performed.
Bacterial Culture
 Bacterial
cultures are performed as a part of the necropsy
but may be performed separately if warranted.
Freshwater fish are routinely cultured on
tryptic soy agar with 5% sheep's blood (TSA+B).
Marine fish are cultured on TSB+B and marine
agar. Additional agars, such as
Lowenstein-Jensen for the culture of
Mycobacterium and Ordals for the culture of
Columnaris, are also available.
Bacteria
Identification
 If bacteria is
cultured from the tested fish, it is identified
in-house using a
Biolog MicroLogTM
semi-automated microbial identification system.
In some cases, it may be necessary to submit
bacteria cultures to an outside laboratory for
identification.
Antibiotic
Sensitivity
 If bacteria is
cultured from the tested fish, an antibiotic
sensitivity test is run to determine which
antibiotic(s) will be effective in treating the
bacteria.
Health Certificate
Most importing
countries require that a USDA-accredited
veterinarian at least visually examine all (or a
representative sample) of the animals being
shipped. (USDA-accredited veterinarians
are private veterinarians who have special
training to sign official USDA health
certificates.) Some countries require
additional diagnostic tests for specific
diseases. The extent of the veterinary
inspection depends on the requirements
established by the importing country, not the
United States. The veterinarian will
usually charge for this service regardless of
whether or not the shipment passes inspection.
It is, therefore, in the exporter’s best
interest to be confident of the good health of
the animals before scheduling an inspection.
Plan ahead when scheduling a shipment requiring
health certification to ensure that a
USDA-accredited veterinarian and, if necessary,
a USDA APHIS Veterinary Services area official
are available to perform the inspection.
The Tropical Aquaculture Lab has USDA-accredited
veterinarians who can perform the necessary
inspections for exportation of ornamental fish
and aquatic invertebrates by Florida aquaculture
producers in the Tampa Bay area. For more
information, please see our
Health
Certificates page.
Histology
 Histology is the
study of cells and tissues on a microscopic
level. It allows for a much closer and
more detailed evaluation than wet mount biopsies
performed during a typical necropsy. In most
cases, tissues which have been preserved in a
fixative (such as 10% neutral buffered formalin)
are embedded in paraffin, sliced into extremely
thin sections, mounted onto a slide,
deparaffinized, and stained. Different
stains are used to target different structures,
conditions, and organisms. Tissues are
preserved at the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory
during necropsy then sent for processing to the
Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine at
the University of South Florida's College of
Medicine. The prepared slides are
evaluated at the Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory
and may be sent to a pathologist for further
evaluation.
Virology
Fresh, whole fish
or fresh tissues (prepared at the Tropical
Aquaculture Laboratory during necropsy) are
submitted to The Florida Department of
Agriculture & Consumer Services Kissimmee Animal
Diagnostic Lab for detection of viruses through
electron microscopy, polymerase chain reaction (PCR,)
or cell culture.
Samples may also be sent to the University of
Florida's Electron Microscopy Core Laboratory in
Gainesville or other colleagues as necessary.
Other Tests
 Other available
tests include Mycobacterium culture,
Mycobacterium identification (through an
outside laboratory), and acid fast
bacteria benchtop stain. Please contact
the Lab if you need assistance with tests not
specifically listed. |
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