What is columnaris

If you suspect Columnaris is what is affecting your fish, the following steps should be taken to help the fish make a recovery:. Columnaris This is a very common ailment of aquarium fishes, particularly those that prefer more alkaline water with a higher pH like the livebearers mollies, platys, swordtails, etc. Treating Columnaris Columnaris, better known as Flavobacterium columnare aka Flexibacter columnaris is one of the more virulent extremely infectious, malignant, or poisonous bacterium that attacks fish.

If you suspect Columnaris is what is affecting your fish, the following steps should be taken to help the fish make a recovery: Give the aquarium an equipment check.

Inspect the heater, air pumps, airstones, powerheads, pumps and filters to ensure they are working properly. Disease breakouts are always preempted by a bout of stress, which is almost always attributed to water quality. Make sure all fish are present and accounted for. Check under rocks for missing fish, since that is usually where they can be found after they expire. Remove any carcasses and discard. Test the water so any waste management issues can be addressed. Elevated levels of ammonia and nitrite contribute greatly to the weakening of the fish and the presence of disease.

Reducing the amount of organic waste in the tank increases the efficiency of medications, particularly organophosphate-based ones used for treating parasites. It also helps remove the egg sacs and developing cysts of parasites that have settled in the gravel.

Increase aeration in the aquarium by adding a second air pump and a few airstones. Diseased fish have a harder time performing gas exchange in the gills osmoregulation and need all the help they can get.

Remove any activated carbon or resin-based filtering products for the duration of the treatment, but keep the filter floss in place. Dose the aquarium water with the appropriate amount of aquarium salt that creates a tonic level.

Follow the dosing directions on the package. Most will recommend a tablespoon per ten gallons, others may recommend up to 2 tablespoons per gallon. Always dissolve the salt in a container of aquarium water first and add it slowly to the aquarium. Keep in mind many catfish, silver-scaled fish, or very small fish may have an adverse reaction to the addition of aquarium salt.

Once your Betta fish has been treated and has recovered, you can reintroduce it into the aquarium. Make sure that it has plenty of room and hiding places as it returns home. An established and balanced nitrogen cycle will allow you to maintain an acceptable bio-load in your Betta fish aquarium. New tanks need cycling before introducing fish. Get a quality water testing kit that allows you to check multiple parameters. The more information you have about the water chemistry, the better water conditions you can provide for your pets.

Keep your tank clean. Make sure to remove dead fish or larger chunks of debris with your hand, net, or vacuum. Change your aquarium water regularly. Follow the one-inch of fish per gallon rule at most. Remember that Betta fish are territorial and aggressive, so provide hiding spots for all tankmates.

Isolate new fish for a few days before introducing them into your established tank. It will make treatments easy and prevent contamination of your current stock. Finally, inspect your Betta fish daily. Columnaris moves quickly, so fast identification is key to survival.

Fortunately, Columnaris is not zoonotic. Like many other fish tank bacteria, it can not jump from your Betta fish to a human. It is, however, highly contagious between tropical fish, including your pet Betta fish. Older fish, fish under stress, and Siamese Fighting fish with current bacterial infections are at a higher risk of contacting Columnaris from other tank mates. Saddle Back disease is fatal if left untreated.

In many cases, your fish will die before you are even aware that there is a problem. Betta fish will die from the Cotton Wool disease within 48 to 72 hours from developing the first symptoms. The disease spreads quickly and often kills your fish before you are aware that there is a problem. Columnaris will manifest symptoms within one or two days.

It is fatal within two or three days, making quick treatment critical. The Flavobacterium columnare found in freshwater can live over 30 days without a host. That allows it to potentially live in your fish tank a month after adding water. Older water, or treated water, will lack the bacteria.

Degenerative processes of the lamellae in the following days resulted in a compensatory tachycardia. This research suggests that the interaction between the impaired gill vascular blood circulation and the cardiac changes could result in the death of the fish [ 33 ]. In the initial phase, proliferation of epithelial cells of the gill filaments can be accompanied by an increase of mucous cells [ 33 ].

The proliferating tissue can occlude the space between adjacent gill lamellae. In more advanced stages, the occlusion can be total causing the gill lamellae to be completely surrounded by the propagating tissue. Congestion of gill lamellae occurs due to accumulation of blood masses and inflammatory cell infiltration can be noticed. Edema causes lifting of the surface epithelium of gill lamellae from the underlying capillary bed.

Complete clubbing of gill filaments can finally result in circulatory failure and extensive internal hemorrhage [ 33 ]. Moreover, huge clusters of F. Gill section of a koi carp infested with F. In the left figure, extensive loss of branchial structures is visible. Complete clubbing of gill filaments may finally result in circulatory failure and extensive internal hemorrhage. A detail of this is depicted in the right figure, where F.

Columnaris disease may cause acute ulcerative dermatitis extending into the hypodermis and the muscle. Waterlogging can be present. The latter appears when the osmotic barrier is broken and thus forces water into the tissues, leading to severe dermal edema.

Rupture of pigment cells with the loss of melanocytes can also be seen. Columns or hay-stack-like aggregates of bacteria can be gathered between dermal collagen fibers.

When all these changes occur rapidly, they may proceed to severe necrosis and sloughing of the epidermis [ 32 , 38 ]. Scanning electron microscopic SEM pictures of affected gill arches reveal the presence of rod-shaped bacterial cells, approximately 0.

These long, thin bacteria adhere on the surface of the gills and appear to be aggregated rather than evenly distributed across the gill epithelium [ 42 , 43 ]. Gill of a rainbow trout infested with F. This scanning electron microscopic SEM picture of an affected gill arch reveals the presence of long, thin, rod-shaped bacterial cells, approximately 0. Gill lamellae of a koi carp following infection by F. This transmission electron microscopic picture clearly demonstrates the loss of structure of the gill lamellae.

The F. Bullard and McElwain were the first to describe the ultrastructural features of saddleback lesions associated with experimental infections of F. Zebrafish skin lesion samples displayed a multitude of rod-shaped bacterial cells and exhibited similar ultrastructural changes.

Scales were missing or, when present, denuded of epidermis. In a cutaneous columnaris challenge model in koi carp, significant changes in blood parameters were observed in the infected fish [ 45 ]. For the hematologic parameters, a significant decrease was noted in Packed Cell Volume PCV , haemoglobin concentration, red blood cell count, mean corpuscular volume and absolute lymphocyte counts. As for the biochemical parameters, marked hyponatremia, hypochloridemia and hyperglycemia were observed.

Calcium and magnesium levels dropped only slightly and total serum protein and albumin-like protein concentrations decreased mildly. Total protein levels fell much below physiological parameters in infected fish. Calcium concentrations were reduced significantly.

In contrast, ALP concentrations decreased. Hypoglycemia was noted. No data were shown on sodium or chlorine [ 15 ]. Timely detection of this pathogenic agent is important to prevent its spreading and to reduce the economic loss to fish farmers. The isolation of F.

No growth of F. In , F. Since then, several media, including Shieh [ 46 ] and TYES [ 47 ] have been developed in an attempt to improve growth of the bacterium. Growth does not occur in media that contain NaCl concentrations of over 0.

Glucose does not improve growth. Considering that F. Decostere et al. Kunttu et al. The rhizoid colony variants were assigned virulent and moderately adherent, the non-rhizoid rough colony variants non-virulent and highly adherent, and the smooth colony variants non-virulent and poorly adherent [ 49 ].

Colonies of F. This trait is also exhibited in broth cultures where yellow, filamentous clumps of bacterial cells can form a thick ring at the surface of a glass recipient [ 12 , 50 ].

Adherence may be lost after several subcultures. Colonies can be recognized by their distinctive yellow pigmentation. The yellow color is due to the production of flexirubin pigments [ 1 ].

A method to identify the typical protein profile of F. Genomovar ascription has been performed using 16S-restriction fragment length polymorphism to divide F. Polymerase chain reaction PCR has gained interest for definitive identification of F. This technique gives a conclusive identification of the organism within a few hours and eliminates the need for biochemical testing which is laborious and sometimes inconclusive [ 52 ].

Besides isolation, other methods may be used for detecting this pathogen. These include serological methods such as the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ 54 ] and the fluorescent antibody test [ 55 , 56 ]. Both have proven to be efficient and rapid for diagnosing columnaris disease. A loop-mediated isothermal amplification method LAMP for rapid detection of Flavobacterium columnare from infected fish organs gills, skin and head kidneys was established in channel catfish [ 57 ].

PCR may also be adopted, having the advantage of being able to detect very low levels of F. In addition, Panangala et al. This PCR is specific, sensitive and reproducible for the detection and quantitation of F.

Moreover, real-time PCR-based methods are distinctively more advantageous than conventional PCR as they eliminate the need for detection of amplified products by gel electrophoresis, thus reducing costs, time and labour [ 58 ]. Various reports have noted the difference in virulence among F. In the last decade, various studies have attempted to elucidate the pathogenesis of columnaris disease.

Although significant progress has been made, still many questions remain unanswered on how this pathogenic organism elicits disease, and information concerning the bacteriological events preceding disease and death is scarce. Li et al. Only very recently, the full genome of F. The colonization of the fish tissue is to be regarded as a complex multistep process which can be subdivided into the stages of attraction, adhesion and aggregation, requiring a step-by-step analysis.

The exact factors mediating colonization have however not yet received the full attention they merit and to date remain largely unidentified. The research group of Klesius et al. The gliding motility of this bacterium is well known [ 1 , 12 , 41 ].

Indeed, the observation of a drop of bacteria grown in broth under a phase contrast microscope shows the slowly forward and backward gliding of F. Pate and Ordal described that the location of fibrillar structures spanning the gap between the outer membrane and the mucopeptide layer might play a role in the gliding motility of the F.

Although Klesius et al. LaFrentz and Klesius developed a culture independent method to quantify the chemotactic response of F. At least three carbohydrate-binding receptors D-mannose, D-glucose and N -acetyl-D-glucosamine associated with the capsule of F. When pretreated with D-mannose, there was no upregulation of gliding motility genes [ 62 ]. The ability to adhere is a prerequisite for the successful colonization of the host tissue.

This research group underscored that the adhesion of F. Bader et al. In channel catfish genomovar II is considered to be more virulent than genomovar I [ 51 , 72 ]. Challenge of rainbow trout with genomovar I and II isolates of F.

Olivares-Fuster et al. They concluded that particular strains of F. The same statement was previously made by Klesius et al. The formation of different colony morphologies could be caused by changes in the cell surface components of the bacteria. It was also found that F. Arias et al. However, whether adhesion impairment was the cause of the observed virulence loss was not investigated. The first one is an acidic polysaccharide and is made visible by ruthenium red staining. Another type of mucus is a basic, partially acetylated polygalactosamine, which cannot be stained with ruthenium red.

Pate and Ordal described a capsular material which coated the surface of the bacterial cell that could be stained with ruthenium red [ 70 ]. They stated that the ruthenium red-positive material was probably an acid mucopolysaccharide that might be involved in the adhesive properties of the cells.

The exact role of the mucopolysaccharides was however not further illuminated in this study. Treatment with pronase or trypsin did not cause any significant inhibition of adhesion [ 11 ]. The same research group noted that the highly virulent strain had a thick capsule with a regular and dense appearance, whereas the capsule of the low virulent strain was much thinner.

This made them to speculate that a lectin-like carbohydrate substance incorporated in the capsule might be partially responsible for the adhesion to the gill tissue. Sun et al. A rhamnose-binding lectin RBL was detected as by far the most highly upregulated gene observed in their differentially expressed set, with expression increasing fold by four hours following infection.

Immunohistochemical staining with antisera against an RBL in rainbow trout revealed the presence of these RBLs in mucous cells of the gill and in various cells related to innate immunity [ 77 ]. This expression pattern is consistent with the finding of F. Beck et al. After exposure of the catfish to different doses of the putative RBL ligands L-rhamnose and D-galactose, these sugars were found to protect the fish against columnaris disease, likely through competition with F.

These findings highlight putative roles for RBL in the context of columnaris disease and reveal new aspects linking RBL regulation to feed availability [ 79 ].

Further studies are needed to further pinpoint the various factor s responsible for mediating adhesion to the fish tissue. The adhesion to the fish tissue was shown to be impacted by various environmental parameters. Using a gill perfusion model [ 61 , 80 ], Decostere et al. The positive effect of high temperatures on the adhesion has also been demonstrated by Kunttu et al.

Adhesion seems to decrease in vitro as salinity goes up [ 79 ]. Expression of adhesins by bacteria is regulated on two different levels. One is directed by environmental sensing and transcription of specific regulatory elements, and the other is a random switching on and off of adhesion genes by submission of the bacterial population to unpredictable environmental conditions [ 81 ]. If and how both phenomena are established in F.

An aggregative adhesion pattern of a highly virulent F. This results in an irregular gill surface covered by a thick mat consisting of numerous clumps of F. These microcolonies are not observed when a low virulence strain is used.

Biofilm formation capacity was demonstrated in vitro for one F. These features point towards biofilm formation potentially being an important stage in the pathogenicity of F. The developmental switch to the biofilm state is commonly regulated by quorum sensing. Quorum sensing QS is a mechanism of gene regulation in which bacteria coordinate the expression of certain genes in response to the presence or absence of small signal molecules.

Additionally, a signaling molecule known as autoinducer-2 AI-2 may also be employed [ 83 ]. It is known that polysaccharide degradation in combination with the secretion of various extracellular enzymes participate in the destruction of skin, muscle and gill tissue [ 1 ], enhancing pathogenicity.

In culture, F. This so-called chondroitin AC lyase acts specifically on a group of acidic mucopolysaccharides found primarily in animal connective tissue [ 40 ]. No correlations were found between host origin, geographic distribution, and amount of enzyme produced by different isolates [ 85 ]. AC lyase is alleged to play a role in the virulence of F. Though high AC lyase activity solely would not be enough to induce virulence in F.

Proteases also contribute to damaging the tissue or enhancing invasive processes [ 40 ]. Newton et al. The bacterial isolates were divided into two groups according to the apparent molecular masses of proteases after zymographic resolution by non-reducing, non-denaturing sodium dodecyl sulfate—polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis SDS—PAGE with gelatin as the protease substrate.

Isolates of group one, produced two proteases with apparent molecular masses of The isolates of group two, revealed three proteases with apparent molecular masses of All isolates degraded gelatin and casein. Seven out of 23 isolates degraded elastin. If I was in your shoes I would clean the filter housing but keep the filter media where the beneficial bacteria lives. However, this is a judgement call on your part. Well, once again I need your advice.

I ordered 6 guppies online from another state. I put her in a 5G alone. Her gills had a shiny white outline. No fuzz, no white spots, just a white, shiny, raised white strip outlining both gills.

Not eating well. Yesterday the white was gone and in its place it was raw and red. I came here to see if I could find anything and after reading this, it sounds like Columnaris to me. I tried to get kanaplex and Furan-2 — None of the local stores have it in stock. She may be dead by then. I hate doing just nothing. Should I continue with maracyn and Ich-X? I also have API general cure, maracyn-2, focus, teatree oil, Fish vitamins and garlic.

I was thinking of soaking some frozen bloodworms with a piece of garlic hoping she might eat. I also have aquarium salt but I was afraid that might sting on such a raw spot. A does it sound like Columnaris; and B what would you suggest until the proper meds arrive? I wish the local stores had a better selection. Do you believe in dosing new arrivals with Ich-X and an antibiotic as a precautionary measure? Maybe it was poor packing or rough transit.

Because columnaris has so many symptoms, it would be near impossible to confirm if this is what has struck your new fish, it could be anything from ammonia burns to columnaris. Testing the water that the fish were shipped in can sometimes provide clues, such as elevated ammonia. You can make a medicated food mix by soaking it in garlic and Kanaplex.

Columnaris is gram-negative, which macaryn 2 treats and out of your medications is probably the pick if you think it is columnaris. I order my new fish through my local fish store which I have trusted for years. I still put all fish in a hospital tank and treat with ich-x and monitor them for a week before adding them to my display tank. Have you spoken to your local fish store not a pet store like petsmart or petco about ordering breeds you want? They can often order in plenty of fish that are not on display through their supply channels.

Thanks, Ian. Have I told you how much I appreciate you and the time you take to put this site together and answer our questions? I do have a local fish guy who quarantines his fish and plants before putting them up for sale. You should see his betta setup! Each betta is it a small tank no cup , with substrate, a plant, heat, and filtration. And his bettas are absolutely gorgeous — colors you never see in petsmart or petco.

Thanks so much. It sounds like you have a fantastic local aquarium, by the sounds of the betta setup. I have never had an issue with aquaticarts when it comes to ordering fish online. However, it has been a while since I placed my last order. I have to admit my 2 bettas are from petsmart! They looked so unhappy and I wanted to liberate them from the bland cups!

They have really thrived in their 15G — I have a black divider — with plants, warm water, driftwood — one of them uses the floating plants as a bed — they were so happy they started building bubble nests the very next day! His fish typically sell out in a few days he has such an amazing reputation, and very beautiful — and healthy — guppies. I really need to learn how to be not so impatient- especially with this new tank. I believe I learned my lesson and I surely do not want to mess up a 55G tank.

I also bought another 20G with 2 dividers so I can have 3 more bettas. The 3 5G are a quarantine tank, breeding tank and fry tank. The males are going in the 55G not until everyone is totally disease-free along with a betta sorority, female guppies will remain in the current 20G. Of course, neither of these new tanks will be ready for any fish until roughly February-March.

Have a happy holiday season! It certainly sounds like you have been bitten by the fishkeeping bug — 7 tanks is a lot. Although, in my opinion, It sounds wonderful.

I agree entirely, it is rewarding giving these jailed fish a second chance at life. I think you have hit the nail on the head when you have identified that slow and steady is the best way to stock. What is the online store you order from?

I would love to check it out. They have several videos on YouTube and their own website- obviously.

I already have 2 pairs from them — blue tail albino and Santa Dumbo, a multicolored guppy. The female just had a gazillion fry. Female guppies from Twin Cities are almost as colorful as the males. BTW, the sick female I have seems to be doing better. I had an oto with fuzzy cotton on his back, and while I was doing online research, he died. I pulled this worm-like thing out of his back that had a hard shell-like or possibly thorny protrusions on its body, with two on its head, like horns.

Then one of my guppies got fuzz on his belly — I started treating with maracyn and Ich-X, the fuzz went away, but the belly is still white. Another oto died and so did 2 guppies but no fuzz or white belly.

Now 3 more guppies have white belly. They all act ok, all are eating, and after I added salt, it seemed to help. No more outbreaks.

Have you had any experience with this white belly. Any thoughts on this? My apologies for the delayed reply. Had the extended family over for thanksgiving and it was a full time job hosting them. I have my fingers crossed everything progresses smoothly. To confirm, I have an article with many pictures here:. To me, based on your description, it sounds like it was an anchor worm another nasty hitch-hiker.

If you google pictures, you should be able to compare. Although they typically cause redness rather than fuzz. I am relatively new to fish keeping about 2 months and I am at a loss- hoping your thoughts will help me figure this out.

I have a 20gal community- 1 female crowntail betta, 5 ghost shrimp, 1 blushing tetra, 1 rubberlip pleco, 2 mystery snails, 2 glass catfish…. I brought 3 glass catfish home. Almost immediately, 2 of them refused to school with the 3rd. I just thought it was due to stress and a new environment.

The next morning, there was a single small white dot on the top of the single catfish. Nothing alarming- didnt look like ick, and was extremely small.

Again, I was not overly concerned because the fish was still swimming fine other than not schooling, but this was still well within 24 hours of introduction. At about hour 20, I found the fish laying on the bottom of my tank barely swimming. Immediately I removed him and he died shortly thereafter. It did appear fuzzy and this whole scenario took place in about 24 hours.

Based off of the research I tried to do, I figured it was columnaris. The good news- none of the other fish have seemed to be affected at all thus far. Of course all of this happened on a national holiday so I couldnt treat for anything even if I had an idea.

Today, about 48 plus hours later, I bought erythromycin as it seemed the best option of the limited options available. Upon further research, I guess it treats gram positive vs. Gram negative like columnaris. I am just at a complete loss as to how to treat my fish that are not showing signs of illness…does this sound like columnaris to you?

Or could just 1 fish have been affected? I added Indian Almond Leaves and my temp is around Fish will often bully a sick or injured fish and is a big clue that this disease or illness is fish specific. The first thing you do should be to isolate the obviously sick fish, to keep your other fish safe and so that you use less medication. However, if this fish was sick before you got it and the signs are just becoming apparent, then it may be too late to save it despite your best efforts. If you are serious about keeping fish, a hospital tank is essential.

You would use this to separate any new fish and monitor them for illness and hitchhikers before adding them to your tank. You would also use this to quarantine sick fish.

I have 2 5G set up right now, one is a hospital tank, the other a quarantine tank. When and if the fish in the hospital tank becomes well, do I need to break down that tank, clean it and all equipment really good with vinegar, get new substrate, plants, etc, before I can use it again? Same question for the quarantine tank should I discover any new fish are sick. Or could I keep shrimp and snails in a hospital tank without worrying about them getting whatever the fish have?

Or does something like stress zyme which says you can use and add fish immediately really work for a new tank? Thank you, once again. Never a bother! It sounds like you have a very elaborate hospital tank. My hospital tank is designed around cleaning and while it is kept cycled, it is bare bottomed and only contains a couple of boring ornaments. How you set up your hospital tank is entirely up to you. Some people keep them up, others keep a second sponge filter in their main tank and use that, setting up a new hospital tank each time.

You can do the same for the quarantine tank. Hi Ian — thanks for the info. All my tanks have extra sponge filters with air stones, so transferring one to a new tank would be an easy thing to do. Thanks once again for your sage advice. Happy New Year, Ian! Hello Ian and thank you for this article. His gills are really inflamed, he was a rotted mouth little color and he is swollen with bloat badly. I am treating with Kanaplex and Furan 2.

His gills still look really inflamed. Should he be further along after 4 days? Should I do another 5 days? He might also have parasites…I am not sure what is causing the bloat which again is better. I fasted him for 4 days and now feeding daphnia and freeze dried brine shrimp. Any advice would be much appreciated. You are so awesome for doing that!

Based on your description, the bloat is certainly separate from the other issues. If everything is looking better, but not mostly resolved, I would continue with a second course if you believe it to be columnaris.

But I have my fingers crossed that he makes a full recovery! Thank you for your response. His water was absolutely foul so it could be just a bad bacterial infection around his mouth coupled with ammonia burns I guess. Not sure what to do…uugh. I wish I could help you more but a lot of these things take time to know if they are getting better. Unfortunately, in this time he could go either way. The eating is definitely a good sign though. If you are keeping your water as clean as possible, you are doing all you can while medicating.

If any symptoms get worse, then medicate according to that individual symptom. I have my fingers crossed that he makes a full recovery! Hello, i have an Oscar fish which took ill on Sunday and judging by this read I believe it could be columnaris. On Sunday she had raised scales all down her sides with a cotton like look to her slime, almost looked as if someone had taken a scourer to her. Although refusing to eat and the obvious infection, she looked relatively healthy and looked as though she could recover.

Quarantined her in a small tank, treated with primafix and Melafix and yesterday she looked worse. This morning a similar story, we have ensured the water is pristine with tests and the usual water changes however her eyes now are clouding over and she looks ready to give in to the illness.

We have continued treatment with Primafix and Melafix after water changes as suggested on dosage. Appreciate in this state there is very little we can do but any advice to at least try and save her would be greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, it may be a little late for this fish.