Gyrodactylus

Gyrodactylus sp.

Gyrodactylus is a flatworm genus of the class of Hakensaugwürmer ( Monogenea ).

He is an ectoparasite ( external parasite ) and affects mainly the skin of fish, rare the gills. Here he lived as parasites of mucus and blood particles of the gills. A characteristic feature is its located at the rear end holding apparatus from a complex structure ( Opisthaptor ) of different hooks, teeth and braces. By means of these holding devices, it is possible for him to anchor itself in the skin or gills of its host. At the top end, he has at the bottom a mouth through which it receives its food consisting of skin or blood particles. Like all flatworms have Gyrodactylidaea no anal opening.

Gyrodactylus is viviparous, unlike other Gyrodactyliden. Through this Viviparie it allows a high reproduction rate. In a fertilized mother is a developed larva that already also contains a larva. In this there is a back and in this also grows a fourth. The larvae are thus multiple redundant. If a larva was born this may represent a second to settle and form four new larvae after fertilization again. The advantage of this reproduction is that here the detour via a free Egg development and possible intermediate hosts or larval stages will be bypassed.

According to Khalil (1964 ) Gyrodactylus is not able to freely move around floating in the water, but can on substrates egelartig move to thereby are always looking for ways to attach. All skin and especially the gill flukes have a high host specificity. In gill flukes this often goes so far as to "their" host parasitize at only at a very specific gill arch, or only at the base and at the tips of the gill filaments (Bauer 1991). Due to this specificity is often usually only occurs in a single species, so that other fish are not affected. If Gyrodactylus can not find a host he is about ten days viable in water, depending on water temperature and general water quality.

Known types

Treatment

An infestation of Gyrodactylus can be treated with the Antihelminthikum levamisole (eg Concurat ®, Citarin ®, Ripercol ®) in the form of a bathing solution or by feeding with drug LABEL FOR live food. Levamisole has a direct cholinergic effect at higher doses in addition an inhibitory effect on acetylcholine esterase, and leads to spastic paralysis of the parasites. Furthermore, the compound has the host immune stimulating properties.

Note the deterioration of water quality when using glucose-containing preparations. Before and after treatment, partial water changes are carried out. Residues of the drug should be removed by filtering through activated charcoal from the water. Since drug use exerts an oxygen-depleting effect, an additional dose of oxygen is to ensure during treatment. In open injuries levamisole should not be used as glucose-containing medicines by a massive bacterial bloom occurs, which then infect open wounds and cause an infectious abdominal dropsy, for example.

Swell

• Publication of Ludwig Katheriner
• Gyrodactylus v. Nrdm. From: Arb from d zool - zoot. Inst Würzburg, Vol x.-M. (3 pl ) Wiesbaden, C. W. Kreidel, 1894; 2 Bl, 127-164 pp. 8 Würzburg. Faculty of Humanities Inaug. - Diss. V. 1894
• Rudolf Hoffmann: fish diseases. 2005, ISBN 978-3-8252-8241-7