Has anyone actually cured a fish exhibiting uronema symptoms?

[Reeffraff]

Everything I've read about treating this horrible disease suggests that treatment is basically preventative or to prevent spreading to other fish. I haven't come across anything where uronema has been diagnosed and successfully treated on the same fish. @Humblefish writes that he euthanizes fish that show symptoms. Are there any examples out there of success? A number of fish in my QT have it (angel, butterfly and rabbitfish), but I caught it early and treating tank with Metroplex as well as adding Metroplex to food (with Focus as a binder). Should I be doing a bath (formalin or H202)? Am I just wasting time? All fish are still eating.
#reefsquad

 

[xxkenny90xx]

@Jay Hemdal

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Everything I've read about treating this horrible disease suggests that treatment is basically preventative or to prevent spreading to other fish. I haven't come across anything where uronema has been diagnosed and successfully treated on the same fish. @Humblefish writes that he euthanizes fish that show symptoms. Are there any examples out there of success? A number of fish in my QT have it (angel, butterfly and rabbitfish), but I caught it early and treating tank with Metroplex as well as adding Metroplex to food (with Focus as a binder). Should I be doing a bath (formalin or H202)? Am I just wasting time? All fish are still eating.
#reefsquad

How did you confirm Uronema? I’ve never seen it on a rabbit fish before, and it is pretty rare in angelfish.
Uronema is a ubiquitous protozoan that normally feeds on bacteria. It normally only infects certain fish; chromis, anthias wrasse and sometimes butterflyfish.
I’ve never cured it once it becomes inter-cellular. I have seen some benefit using chloroquine for external cases.
Jay

 

[Reeffraff]

How did you confirm Uronema? I’ve never seen it on a rabbit fish before, and it is pretty rare in angelfish.
Uronema is a ubiquitous protozoan that normally feeds on bacteria. It normally only infects certain fish; chromis, anthias wrasse and sometimes butterflyfish.
I’ve never cured it once it becomes inter-cellular. I have seen some benefit using chloroquine for external cases.
Jay

Hi Jay,
Conformation was visual. It showed up first on an anthias. Small reddish discoloration on the side of the body. Quickly developed (within a couple days) into a large blotch classic of all the pictures online of this disease. Fish stopped eating and was dead within 48 hrs after that.
A week or so later I noticed a regal angel with 2 small reddish sores on its side as well as a butterfly with the same type of sore on it lower jaw and the rabbitfish with a red sore at the base of the pectoral fin.
How do you distinguish from an external vs inter-cellular infection?
Where do you obtain chloroquine? Are you talking about chloroquine phosphate or hydroxychloroquine? Or does it matter? I can't find a source for either. Metronidazole, whether in food or in water seems to have no affect. Is there a topical treatment that can be applied directly to the 'sore'?

 

[Jay Hemdal]

Hi Jay,
Conformation was visual. It showed up first on an anthias. Small reddish discoloration on the side of the body. Quickly developed (within a couple days) into a large blotch classic of all the pictures online of this disease. Fish stopped eating and was dead within 48 hrs after that.
A week or so later I noticed a regal angel with 2 small reddish sores on its side as well as a butterfly with the same type of sore on it lower jaw and the rabbitfish with a red sore at the base of the pectoral fin.
How do you distinguish from an external vs inter-cellular infection?
Where do you obtain chloroquine? Are you talking about chloroquine phosphate or hydroxychloroquine? Or does it matter? I can't find a source for either. Metronidazole, whether in food or in water seems to have no affect. Is there a topical treatment that can be applied directly to the 'sore'?

Chloroquine is virtually unobtainable in the US right now. The only place I've seen it is a company I've never personally dealt with, they are selling it under the old trade name of "Marex". Here is a link: https://www.americanaquariumproducts.com/Aquatronics.html#marex

It really isn't possible to visually ID Uronema, you need to see it under a microscope to be sure. The trouble is bacterial infections mimic it so closely and indeed, it is common to have gram negative bacteria infecting the same lesion as Uronema.

Inter-cellular Uronema shows up from the "inside out" - first you see nothing, the fish may just be "off". Then, you may see a bruise in the fish's muscle (depends on the color of the fish). Finally, the scales will raise and even fall off, revealing the deep-seated lesion underneath. External Uronema starts on the outside and works inwards, so the scales will still be laying flat until the lesion develops further.

I've used Formalin on external Uronema in seadragons before - 150 ppm for 1 hour under heavy aeration daily. It worked once out of the two times I tried it.

Jay