Health Management Abstracts
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An Oldie but a Goodie – Phenoxyethanol in Elasmobranchs Rob Jones, The Aquarium Vet Full Abstract
Phenoxyethanol has been used as a fish anaesthetic for many years. In the past three to four years, The Aquarium Vet team have used it in multiple elasmobranch species, including some large animals up to 300 kilograms. We have used it to assist with handling and preparation for transports, as well as for sedation for minor procedures and surgery. The results have been excellent with a very smooth induction as well as recovery. Doses range from 0.15 ml/L up to 0.30 ml/L and our protocol will be presented. |
Stella the Sandtiger: No Bones About It Liza Walsh, Caitlin Marsh, Mississippi Aquarium Full Abstract
A sub-adult female sand tiger shark (Carcharias taurus), housed at Mississippi Aquarium, presented with scoliosis and kyphosis shortly after being introduced to the main 300,000-gallon habitat. The curvature, partnered with a severe decrease in appetite, resulted in a veterinary examination that indicated that the individual had a vertebral luxation. In a groundbreaking surgery, the luxation was stabilized by placing bilateral plates and screws. After the surgery, aquarists used physical therapy, environmental obstacles, and a curated training plan, with the goal of improving the chances of a successful reintroduction to the main habitat with varying success. Aquarists were able to determine that tracking the trends of her consumption rate combined with changes to her swim pattern showed a correlation between the shark’s assumed level of comfort/discomfort pre- and post-surgery. Unfortunately, one month after reintroduction, the sand tiger shark presented with worsened spinal curvature, leading to a second spinal surgery. The second surgery required more invasive procedures including removing a piece of cartilage and placing larger plates. Post operatively the shark rested on the bottom with intermittent periods of swimming short distances. She became severely acidotic and was euthanized due to lack of response to emergency therapy. Despite the outcome, the knowledge gained from both surgeries and the specific care required afterward provided information that may be useful to veterinarians and aquarists caring for elasmobranchs in other zoos and aquariums. |
Investigation into Lymphoid Neoplasia in the Southern Stingray, Hypanus americanus Melissa Morrow, Mystic Aquarium Full Abstract
The presence of Lymphoid Neoplasia in elasmobranchs is a rare occurrence with a varied range of symptoms, making the diagnosis of this disease hard to confirm. At Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, MO there is a 7 year old Southern Stingray “Wilma” that has been diagnosed with Lymphoid Neoplasia with vascular invasion. Symptoms first arose on May 19, 2019 as a small strip of tumors along the left side of her midline. Over the course of 6 months her symptoms progressed to large tumors covering the majority of her dorsal side and the ventral side of her tail. Following the progression of her symptoms, a skin scrape and abscess swab culture were performed leading to the diagnosis and treatment for Vibrio alginolyticus and Photobacterium damselae infections. Upon the seemingly ineffectiveness of that treatment, a skin biopsy was administered and submitted to Fishhead Labs, LLC who confirmed the diagnosis of Lymphoid Neoplasia with vascular invasion on September 27, 2019. With this diagnosis, The Wonders of Wildlife facility decided to perform a trial treatment of Prednisone and Lomustine Chemotherapy. The treatment was administered for 4 months, and ostensibly had success. The external tumors presumably went into remission and the stingray was placed back on exhibit June 23, 2020. |
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Hilo's Story:
Providing Intensive Neonatal Care to a Spotted Eagle Ray Pup Amanda Vaughn, Disney's The Seas with Nemo and Friends Full Abstract
In December of 2019, a spotted eagle ray pup was born into the 5.7-million-gallon Main Environment at Disney’s The Seas. Upon initial examination, the pup appeared externally healthy, in great body condition, and was displaying expected behaviors for growth and development. It was isolated to a pup habitat for one-on-one feeding opportunities, where aquarists observed positive signs of foraging behavior begin. After a few days of witnessing small amounts of consumption from the pup, all foraging behavior unexpectedly ceased. A plan for intervention was made between Animal Husbandry, Management, and Health teams. Bloodwork revealed a high white blood cell count, so twice-a-day tube feedings were administered, in addition to antibiotic therapy. Despite our team’s best efforts to sustain the pup, visible loss of body condition continued, prompting modification of the current strategy. Because the ray’s health had reached a point of extreme delicacy and our treatment plan needed to be highly aggressive, several factors to balance animal handling with animal health were required. A careful approach that took into account the animal’s caloric needs, repetitive exposure to capture and anesthesia, necessary medical treatments, and overall neonate development was designed. After a month of intensive intervention, the pup began to eat without assistance and a training plan was devised. Throughout the process, our team gained several invaluable learnings for critical neonate care, including a greater understanding of digestive time and nutritional needs, best- practices for repetitive handling and anesthesia exposure, lesser-used treatment methods, and highlighting of inter- team communication and camaraderie. |
Completion of a Successful CT Scan on a
Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) Amanda Vaughn, Disney's The Seas with Nemo and Friends Full Abstract
At Disney’s The Seas, a CT scan was planned for a cownose ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) who exhibited chronic spinning behavior. Several previous diagnostics and treatments had been administered, but were unremarkable in findings and behavioral improvement from the animal, hence the decision to proceed with a more invasive procedure. To complete the scan successfully, several caveats would need to be problem-solved, including: transport to an alternate facility, minimization of stressors on the animal, appropriate maintenance of all blood parameters during extended dry-dock time, design of equipment to adequately ventilate the ray while dry-docked, methodology to keep hospital equipment dry and free of salt, and collaboration of care efforts between teams that were unfamiliar working together. In order to best prepare, the Animal Husbandry Team spent time at the hospital facility to understand the building layout and transport path, space restrictions for storage of seawater and aquatic holding tanks, and dimension requirements to fit the animal into the CT machine. In turn, the Animal Health Team familiarized themselves with necessary husbandry equipment and ran through multiple practice runs with aquarium staff to mitigate unforeseen kinks in the plan. After the conclusion of extensive preparatory efforts, the scan was scheduled and all pre-established goals were completed, resulting in a successful procedure. Veterinarians were able to obtain quality images of the ray’s brain, spine, and tail base, and we have opened up the door to use CT imagery as a diagnostic tool for our elasmobranch collection in the future, thus increasing animal welfare. |
New methods for restraint and treatment of Uronema marinum in
Red Lionfish (Pterois volitans) David Sanchez, Sara Uhl, Moody Gardens Aquarium Full Abstract
A new method was needed to treat a systemic Uronema infection in Lionfish (Pterois volitans). Late diagnoses due to an atypical presentation commanded a radical treatment protocol. A drug cocktail of Panacur, Praziquantal, Enrofloxacin, Ponazuril and Vitamin B12, given orally with food was used to combat the infection. To facilitate this new treatment protocol, a new method of restraint needed to be created as well. A woven neoprene mat was used to wrap the fish and keep the venomous spines contained. Combined with neoprene glove, the method was effective and safe. This approach provided for keeper and fish safety while minimizing stress and sedation time. We believe that this method can be used by other institutions to facilitate animals handling safety. |
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Towards Understanding Microbial Degradation of Chloroquine in Large Saltwater Systems James Clark, John G. Shedd Aquarium Full Abstract
Circulating saltwater aquariums hosting marine animals contain a wide range of microorganisms, which have strong implications on promoting animal health. In this study, we investigated the degradation of chloroquine phosphate, an anti-parasitic bath pharmaceutical used in saltwater quarantine and exhibition systems, and attributed the reduction in drug concentration to microbial degradation of chloroquine associated with pipeline microbial communities. To advance our knowledge on chloroquine degradation in aquatic systems, we conducted microbial and chemical analyses on three tropical saltwater systems. Our findings show that aquarium microbiome composition is shaped by sampling pipeline; PERMANOVA R2 = 0.09992, p = 0.0134), R2 = 0.05700, p = 0.0030), and whether the aquarium R2 = 0.07019, p = 0.0009). Several microbial taxa belonging to the phyla Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, andProteobacteria, along with functional genes related to pathways such as phenylethylamine degradation anddenitrification, appeared to have differential (relative) abundance between samples where chloroquine degradation was observed and those without degradation (Benjamini-Hochberg adjusted p-value <0.05). Together, these results provide practical mitigation options to prevent or delay the development of chloroquine-degrading microbial communities in saltwater aquariums. Our results further demonstrate the need to improve our understanding of the interactions between nitrogen availability and microbial activity in saltwater systems. |
Quarantining Before it Was Cool: Ecological Approaches in Coral Health Management Angelica Demers, Hawaii Coral Restoration Nursery Full Abstract
Investigation into successful methods in coral restoration has become a progressively important area of focus in the aquatic community. Disruptions to the natural reef system, caused by climate change and anthropogenic activity, has led to increased bleaching events and susceptibility of coral to global large-scale die-off. Subsequently, growing numbers of government-funded agencies, public aquariums, and NGO’s are attempting to mitigate this loss through coral restoration. In Hawaii specifically, restoration poses unique challenges due to high levels of endemism and the growth rate of Hawaiian coralsthe slowest worldwide. At the Hawaii Division of Aquatic Resources’ Coral Restoration Nursery, staff is continually exploring different methods of treatment for various coral maladies. Unlike disease treatment in aquariums, the team must consider the long-term effects that a medication (such as an antibiotic) could have on the ecosystem post-outplant. As all corals coming into the nursery are intended for re- introduction into the wild, treatment regiments must be selected based on a risk assessment for both the facility and future reef outplant site. Following a pervasive cyanobacterial outbreak at the nursery, staff qualitatively determined the treatment success rate for several colonies of Porites lobata with hydrogen peroxide. Treatment efficacy varied by colony genotype, tank conditions, severity of initial outbreak, treatment concentrations, and time exposed to the hydrogen peroxide. Within the scope of coral conservation and ecology, this technique, as well as other less-invasive methods that utilize simple tools to address coral health concerns, are further presented and discussed. |