Re: Anchor worms?; Camallanus infection- 10 mg/l levamisole one -day treatment

[<Guillaume_Hervieu-1@sbphrd.com>]

To:       apisto@majordomo.pobox.com
cc:
From:     Guillaume Hervieu-1 @ SB_PHARM_RD
Date:     22-Jun-98 11:04:55 AM
Subject:  Re: Anchor worms?; Camallanus infection- 10 mg/l levamisole
          one-day treatment
Categories:

Dionigi,

     First the levamisole dosage is 10 mg per liter and not 10
mg/ml......Thanks for the remninder. It was a typing mistake. DO NOT 1000
times OVERDOSE....

I think that the Cama infection has been eradicated with levamisole. At
least, the eel does not have anymore a protruding anus and no worms can be
seen going out from the rectum. I am currently follow up another case of
protruding abdomen (not rectum) [ case of a rainbow fish].

So it seems that LEVAMISOLE (Sigma L9756; £6 for 2g; £12 for 5g; £19.9
for 10g- DO NOT USE TETRAMISOLE which is TOXIC; see Web page:URL:
www.sigma.sial.com/sigma/proddata/l9756.htm)  does work to treat Camallanus
infection (all tank treatment, even on heavily-affected subjects). For
these latter, a short dipping session (in a hospital-aquarium) in Salt (3%
w/v= 3 grams per 100 ml; i.e. 30 grams per liter [rougly 6 teaspoons of
salt per liter/ DO NOT USE SALT from your kitchen]) /Formaldehyde (for
dosage, can not remember by heart but can find back if needed) may be
useful to pursue the work. It will strongly affect the well- beingness of
these ugly worms hanging from the rectum. But be careful, it will also
affect the poor fish. My eel did not stand more than 10 minutes. Up to you
to appreciate the threshold. DO NOT USE FORMALDEHYDE IF THE GILLS ARE
DAMAGED else the treated subject will have all chance to die.
As usual, Remove carbon/charcoal during treatment

It is advised to do a 100% change water after the one-day treatment
(certain people treat even for less time; i.e. 12 hours). I have not
changed the water (see below) but just put the carbon back and everyone is
fine (seems to be fine...).

Water change: I live  in Cambridge (UK) where the water is really hard,
hard, hard (so hard that it is unsafe for human consumption in the farm I
live in) and by such, with a basic pH (8.3 at the tap). As I have discus,
False Neons, Cardinals, Corydoras and as they require a soft, acid water, I
have to transform the water hardness/pH paramters with a peat pre-treatment
(in fact also in the gravel + filter). You can not jump from a treated
water (pH= 6.8; average hardness) to the original tapwater.   As they have
been some emergency trouble and that I had already done this VERY
UNRECOMMENDED CHANGE I do not want to do another water change. The Discus
were perhaps merciful for the first time but I do not want to abuse
them.....


Dionigi, as you are from Roche, perhaps you may know if I can use some ion
exchange resins to exchange calcium against hydrogen proton in order to
drastically lower the hardness level.  I have some Amberlite and other
stuff (exactly: Amberjet 1200H, Amberlite IRC-50 [H], Diaion WK 40 HP from
Supelco-Sigma) but I am quite reluctant to use them cause you see a safety
warning @Irritant to the eyes' So thinking of the fish...... I have some
strong resin, some weak resin ??? Anyone's got an experience??
  As levamisole has some CNS/brain toxicity, do not overdose. One of the
symptoms that may happen is a loss of equilibrium. It was very clear for
the Discus. They were flat bur recovered quickly. However it is normally
said that 'fish show individual sensitivity to levamisole'. This sugar
compound is normally used as an anti-helminthic for cats, dogs, cattle
etc..

Cheers,
Guillaume.