An Assignment on

Nutritional Fish Disease: Fish Scurvy

Course Title: Prevention and Control of Fish Diseases

Course Code: FMG 401

Submitted to:
Md. Emranul Ahsan
Associate Professor
Department of Fisheries Management
Faculty of Fisheries

Submitted by:
Name: Sk Mofak Kharul Islam Shihab
Reg. no. 17-05-4327
Level: IV
Group: B
Term: Summer’2020

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Agricultural University

Table of Contents
Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Objective ......................................................................................................................................... 3

What is Nutritional Fish disease ..................................................................................................... 4

What is Fish Scurvy disease? .......................................................................................................... 4

Causative agent ............................................................................................................................... 4

Transmission ................................................................................................................................... 4

Stages affected ................................................................................................................................ 4

Gross clinical signs ......................................................................................................................... 5

Diagnosis: ....................................................................................................................................... 6

Preventive and control methods ...................................................................................................... 6

Conclusion ...................................................................................................................................... 7

References ....................................................................................................................................... 8
Nutritional Fish Disease: Fish Scurvy Disease
Introduction
Malnutrition in fish populations, although recognized by the earliest workers in fish culture, has
only recently received intensive study commensurate with that in other fields of animal nutrition.
Heretofore, attempts to investigate the role of specific nutrients in fish nutrition have been
hampered by the lack of suitable test diets in which the factors in question could be controlled
experimentally. Recent experimental test diets have enabled investigators to produce specific
deficiency syndromes and have laid foundations for controlled study of fish nutrition. Within the
last 3 years, the first indications of susceptibility to bacterial disease in fish showing sub-clinical
manifestations of specific vitamin deficiencies have opened an entire new field in fish-disease
study. These advances promise an increased activity in the study and establishment of the
nutritional requirements of fish; and the description, detection, and prevention of nutritional-
deficiency syndromes may be made on a more rational basis in the near future.

In the natural state probably only sub-clinical manifestations of nutritional deficiencies appear
because the natural food supply is rich in the basic nutrients and growth factors. Under hatchery
conditions, however, where economy demands the use of artificial diets, nutritional deficiencies
may become a serious problem. Detection and prevention of the deficiency syndromes not yet
adequately described remain difficult since the specific nutritional requirements of fish of various
species have not been established. Sub-clinical deficiency syndromes are at present the greatest
problem and until better detection methods are developed, or until the nutritional requirements are
defined for the species, no practical diet can be formulated with assurance of nutritional balance.

Objective
 To know more about the nutritional fish disease
 To know what causes fish scurvy disease
 To know how to prevent and control fish scurvy disease
 To know what nutrients are required for a healthy fish
What is Nutritional Fish disease
Nutritional diseases of fish may develop as a result of deficiency (undernutrition), excess
(overnutrition), or imbalance (malnutrition) of nutrients present in their food. The disease usually
develops gradually because animals have body reserves that make up for nutritional deficiency up
to a certain extent. Disease signs develop only when the supply of any diet component falls below
a critical level. When there is too much food, the excess that is converted to fat and deposited in
fish tissues and organs may severely affect the physiological functions of the fish.

What is Fish Scurvy disease?

Scurvy in fish is a deficiency condition and non-infectious in nature. It rarely occurs naturally
when diets are not formulated and prepared based on the species requirement. Deficiency of
Ascorbic acid is the preliminary cause of fish scurvy disease. Use of another specie’s diets in
absence of a suitable formulated diet for species may results in deficiencies.

Spinal deformity associated with ascorbic acid deficiency has been reported to occur naturally in
Cromileptes altivelis post larvae in Indonesia. Fishes in the growout stages are usually affected but
spinal deformity occurs at post larval stages. Natural occurrence in growout farms has also been
reported in Epinephelus tauvina and E. malabaricus in Thailand.

Causative agent

 Ascorbic acid deficiency is the primary cause of scurvy.

Transmission

 Scurvy is a deficiency condition and is therefore non-infectious.

Stages affected
Fish in the grow-out stages are usually affected but spinal deformity may occur at the post-larval
stages when inappropriate larval feeds are used. Spinal abnormality can also be experimentally
induced in C. altivelis fingerlings when they are given diets devoid of vitamin C.
 Gross clinical signs
Affected fish exhibit gross signs such as

 anorexia
 short snout
 erosion of opercula and fins
 hemorrhaging of eyes and fins
 exophthalmia
 swollen abdomen
 abnormal skull
 falling pharyngobranchials
 severe emaciation and
 spinal column abnormality such as scoliosis and lordosis.

Figure 2: Dorso-ventral curvature of the spinal column (scoliosis) in Cromileptes altivelis

Figure 1: Upper---coho salmon fed diet devoid of ascorbic acid and showing spinal curvatures typical of
scoliosis. Middle--normal coho fed complete test diet containing 100 mg of vitamin C/100 g of dry ration.
Bottom---coho on same diet as upper fish and showing spinal curvature typical of lordosis.
Diagnosis:
Healthy fishes have sufficient ability to be adapted with considerable changes in environmental
condition and also to resist fish diseases. A quick and effective system is required to identify the
cause of disease for appropriate treatment and control of fish diseaseThe deficient condition of fish
can be confirmed by

 the curvature of the body with the hemorrhagic lesion at the broken vertebral column,
 Histopathology of gills and liver.
 The formulation can also be examined as to the form and level of inclusion of ascorbic acid
and further by analysis of tissue and feed samples for ascorbic acid content

Figure 3: Gill rot due to deficiency of ascorbic acid

Preventive and control methods

High doses of vitamin C intake can provide increased disease resistance against several pathogenic
bacterial and virus species in fish. Use adequate amounts and stable forms of ascorbic acid (e.g.
L-ascorbyl monophosphate or L-ascorbyl polyphosphate) in diet formulation. Provide the
minimum requirement for the species if information is available allowing for losses during
manufacture.

 Humpback grouper: 30mg L-ascorbyl-2-phosphate mg/kg diet

 Atalntic Salmon: L-ascorbyl-2-sulfate at 50 mg or more per kg dry diet
Conclusion
For a sustainable aquaculture, one of the basic requirements is Fish health management. Rural
farmers involved in aquaculture practice lacks necessary knowledge on aquaculture health
management practices. So, it is very essential to focus the efforts on disease prevalence and fish
pathogens. Farmers should be provided with essential knowledge on good aquaculture
management practice. Proper nutrition supply, good quality water supply and healthy sanitation
condition can prevent disease spread. Poor water quality, proper nutritional diets or week immune
system allow these potential microorganisms to cause disease. In order to ensure disease resistance,
optimum level of nutrients should be supplied in diets because nutrient requirement level varies
from species to species.
References
 Halver. J.E. 2011. Fish Diseases and Nutrition
 Shoaibe. H.T.S. 2018. Nutritional Diseases of Fish in Aquaculture and Their Management:
A Review
 Tacon AGJ. “Nutritional fish pathology”. FAO Fish Technical Paper. No. 330. Rome FAO
(1992): 75
 Halver. J.E Ronald W.H. 1994. L-Ascorbyl-2-Sulfate Alleviates Atlantic Salmon Scurvy
 Halver. J.E and Smith R. R. Utilization of Ascorbic Acid in Fish