The Government of the Hungarian People's Republic, assisted by the United Nations Development Programme and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, are engaged in a project the main purpose of which is to strengthen the research capabilities and facilities at the Fish Culture Research Institute (FCRI), Szarvas, Hungary, and to formulate and implement an integrated research programme in fish culture in ponds and man-made lakes and natural waters of Hungary.
As part of the project operation, FAO assigned Mr R. Kusuda as fish disease consultant from 1 to 29 July, 1981, with the following terms of reference:
to review on-going research work of the Institute on fish diseases;
to assist the research team in formulation and initiation of expanded research work on fish diseases with special attention to detection, description and control of bacterial diseases of Cyprinus carpio, Silurus and Aristichthys nobilis and immuno-logical response of fish to bacterial infection, and introduction of methods for mass immunization (immersion and high pressure spray techniques).
Research work on bacterial fish diseases was not well developed until 1976 when, with successful cooperation from the National Veterinary Institute, a fish diseases team was established at the FCRI. Studies and major results obtained were as follows:
When investigating erythrodermatitis of common carp, unknown gram-negative bacteria were isolated (altogether 15 strain) with which it was possible to induce erythrodermatitis. These bacteria are different from Aeromonas salmonicida, which was thought to be the cause of erythrodermatitis. Their sensitivity to Neo-Te-Sol was tested and efficient bath techniques were elaborated.
When investigating diseases of sheatfish, a total of 550 various bacterial strains were isolated from the fish in, and on, flora and from the water. Among these isolated strains there are four demonstrable pathogenic bacteria, one of them a Pasteurella, and a number of Myxobacterium strains. After a study of the physiology, biochemistry and light-and electron-microscopic morhology, of these bacteria, their sensitivity to chemotherapeutics (e.g., nitrofuranes) and antibiotics (e.g., oxytetracycline) was tested, and the formulation of medicated feeds against these diseases was started.
Development of soluble antigens (vaccines and bacterines) is planned against various isolated pathogen organisms in order to develop hypertonic immersion techniques against various diseases.
