For Terry B, Trey and other fish men and women of science

[dr. jay]

One more question guys. When I am not taking care of my 3.5 kids (.5 because my wife is about to deliver #4 anyday now) or taking care of my patient practice in New Jersey, I read a great deal of medical journals. From time to time you and JIMI and some others have quoted studies as in your last post about ICH. Where do you find these studies?? Is it in a jounal?? Which one??? a fsh magazine???
I tried to find an antibiotic cure for ich as it reminded me of a certan human pathogen called PCP (pneumocystis carini) which has a fungal cell wall (which in medicine fungal ="Crypt") and is a protozoan like cryptocaryon (?sp.) problem is, in vitro (everyting kills it) including normal saline in a petrie dsh (which was my placebo). I thought the antibiotic Bactrim would be effective but so is a drop of eutonic saline. Amazingly I was able to culture it on regular culture medi and in a petrie dish which shouldnt be possible considering it is an obligate parasite right? Anyway I want to go beyond the book stage and into the science. Can anybody reccommend anything??? ( a Marine Biology book perhaps??)

 

[jimi]

I know this was not to me but you are definately barking up the right tree. Terry B should be able to give you some studies. As for myself I have read some from TerryB and elsewhere on the net. Dr Noga ,I think ,is one who has studied ich pretty in depth. If you do a search on ich on lycos or other search engines you should find endless studies,speculations,facts,theories,and above all OPINIONS on ich. There is definately more to it then your basic 21 day life cycle in some strains or cases.

 

[dr. jay]

thanks JIMI... yes..it was meant for you. I appreciate your advice.

 

[coralbeauty]

Dr. Jay:
I of the medical sciences field(former nurse, current hospital administrator but don't hold that against me), as well and I have been wondering about many of the things you are trying. I wrote about this about 6 months ago, as I wondered about "ick" being one and only one strain or multiple strains that we all just call "ick". I felt this explained why some treatments worked for some fish in some tanks, but not in all cases.
I have not gone as far as comparing it to human illness that we have great bodies of information about. Please keep it up and keep us posted. This could be great.
Thanks,
Connie

 

[dr. jay]

Hi Connie... A good nurse is worth her weight in gold... Hospital Administrators???? At least weight in salt water (although maybe not cycled salt water).
Biology is biology... It doesnt sit well that their is an organism (parasite) that infects fish and the best therapy we have to combat it is an inert substance (not biologly active) copper... that cures the fish by causing mucus secretion which helps release the organism into the water. Why we cant find a substqnce that the ich tries to metabolize and incoorporate into its biologic processes and therby kill itself.... is beyond me. Believe me.... i ICH infected human beings an antibiotic would be found in an hour. (although I dont know if the hospital administrators would have it on formulary..... just kidding.