Koi Disease: The Koi Herpes Virus
http://www.savearticle.com/articles/83993/1/Koi-Disease-The-Koi-Herpes-Virus/Page1.html
Dori Thompson
In order to have a healthy pond, what a pond owner needs are the secrets that can help him keep a good environment for his Koi as he takes care of them. Utilizing such secrets will give him the best relaxing and beautiful addition to his home.
Go and check out the secrets you need from Dori Thompson so you too can have the best Koi pond there is. Act now by clicking on this link: Koi Pond Secrets . By Dori Thompson
Published on April 2nd, 2009
The Koi Herpes Virus (abbreviated as KHV) is a deadly virus/disease which has recently emerged in the Koi industry. Its first outbreak was confirmed in the late period of the year 1998, early in the year 1999 in Israel. Since its emergence, outbreaks have been reported all throughout the globe, especially in Europe, Asia and the United States.
The Koi Herpes Virus (abbreviated as KHV) is a deadly virus/disease which has recently emerged in the Koi industry. Its first outbreak was confirmed in the late period of the year 1998, early in the year 1999 in Israel. Since its emergence, outbreaks have been reported all throughout the globe, especially in Europe, Asia and the United States.
Just like most of the Herpes type of viruses all throughout the world, the KHV is believed to remain with the infected fish for life. The fish that have been exposed to the virus at a certain point are immediately considered as carriers! The mortality rate for the fish that has been exposed to this kind of virus would range from 60 to 80 percent.
The reality is these fish are very prone and susceptible to the virus. The only possible way to prevent your fish from getting infected is to make sure that your fish will never get exposed to it. Having the appropriate knowledge of the virus would slim the chances of making your fish catch the virus.
Facts about KHV:
Quite a bit of information has been gathered about the virus since its outbreak in 1998, and knowing the important facts about this virus can really help you in preventing it from spreading into your pond. Once the fish has been exposed to KHV, it will always be a carrier for the rest of its lifespan. Even if proper treatment is applied, these fish should never be transferred to another pond or habitat (you wouldn't want the infection to spread all over into another pond, right?).
Take note that temperature levels at 74 degrees Fahrenheit will activate the disease (a very helpful information as it allows for testing to see if the fish really have the virus or not). Stress is not a cause of the virus, but it can cause the disease to gain a higher rate in mortality. Spreading of the virus will occur if the fish will come in contact with an infected fish; if it will come into contact with the tools used in handling the infected fish; if it will be exposed to the water in which the infected ones swam in; etc. Sad to say, there's no known cure for the KHV.
Preventative measures of the spreading of the KHV:
If your fish has been diagnosed with the virus, the only effective way to make sure that you don't infect any other fish is by depopulation. This process is the elimination of your entire fish population. As cruel as this may seem, it's truly the best way so as to ensure that no other fish will ever catch the virus.
When buying a fish, it's advisable to quarantine the new fish separately from your current population in a period not less than 15 days. With the knowledge of the exact temperature level to activate the disease (around 74 degrees Fahrenheit), this will allow you to expose your Koi to the right conditions for the virus to show itself. Those that live in this conditions for this given period and don't develop any symptoms have less chance of getting infected.
Quarantining your fish means total isolation; you shouldn't allow anything to come into contact with the infected ones, especially those items that may come into contact with the current population. Use separate food, tools and water. Make it a point that those tools that you have use for your quarantined fish should just stay always in the area in which they are used.
Proper hand washing procedures should also be observed when handling both the Koi and its items within the same period of time. These steps can really help in the prevention of the spreading of this disease.
Just like most of the Herpes type of viruses all throughout the world, the KHV is believed to remain with the infected fish for life. The fish that have been exposed to the virus at a certain point are immediately considered as carriers! The mortality rate for the fish that has been exposed to this kind of virus would range from 60 to 80 percent.
The reality is these fish are very prone and susceptible to the virus. The only possible way to prevent your fish from getting infected is to make sure that your fish will never get exposed to it. Having the appropriate knowledge of the virus would slim the chances of making your fish catch the virus.
Facts about KHV:
Quite a bit of information has been gathered about the virus since its outbreak in 1998, and knowing the important facts about this virus can really help you in preventing it from spreading into your pond. Once the fish has been exposed to KHV, it will always be a carrier for the rest of its lifespan. Even if proper treatment is applied, these fish should never be transferred to another pond or habitat (you wouldn't want the infection to spread all over into another pond, right?).
Take note that temperature levels at 74 degrees Fahrenheit will activate the disease (a very helpful information as it allows for testing to see if the fish really have the virus or not). Stress is not a cause of the virus, but it can cause the disease to gain a higher rate in mortality. Spreading of the virus will occur if the fish will come in contact with an infected fish; if it will come into contact with the tools used in handling the infected fish; if it will be exposed to the water in which the infected ones swam in; etc. Sad to say, there's no known cure for the KHV.
Preventative measures of the spreading of the KHV:
If your fish has been diagnosed with the virus, the only effective way to make sure that you don't infect any other fish is by depopulation. This process is the elimination of your entire fish population. As cruel as this may seem, it's truly the best way so as to ensure that no other fish will ever catch the virus.
When buying a fish, it's advisable to quarantine the new fish separately from your current population in a period not less than 15 days. With the knowledge of the exact temperature level to activate the disease (around 74 degrees Fahrenheit), this will allow you to expose your Koi to the right conditions for the virus to show itself. Those that live in this conditions for this given period and don't develop any symptoms have less chance of getting infected.
Quarantining your fish means total isolation; you shouldn't allow anything to come into contact with the infected ones, especially those items that may come into contact with the current population. Use separate food, tools and water. Make it a point that those tools that you have use for your quarantined fish should just stay always in the area in which they are used.
Proper hand washing procedures should also be observed when handling both the Koi and its items within the same period of time. These steps can really help in the prevention of the spreading of this disease.