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Re: Blackworms and whirling disease?
Paul Jarvis wrote:
>
> Speaking of blackworms...
>
> Have any of you thought about the fact that blackworms (tubificids) are
> intermediate hosts for the organism which causes whirling disease?
>
> Fishing birds eat fish which are infected with the whirling disease (which
> destroys cartilage), the organism is passed through the bird with the feces.
> THe feces is dropped into the water where the blackworms feed on it,
> ingesting the M. cerebralis organism. Fish then feed on the
> blackworm(host)and become infected with the whirling disease.
>
> JUst wondering what you all thought?
>
> Perhaps the blackworms you use are raised in situations free of
> contamination.
This runs counter to the advice we received from Barry Cooper, who should
know. Blackworms are not host to *any* known fish pathogens.
Much of the country gets blackworms from the California sources (food
factories), where they are not exposed to fish or fish waste. Some worms in
the far eastern parts of the country (i.e., east of the Rockies) may come
from trout farms, but I've never heard of whirling disease from the worms.
I've seen far more damage of that kind from the lead weights on plants when
a tank goes slightly acid. *They* will give a dramatic form of whirling
disease.
Wright
--
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679 huntleyone at home dot com
"DEMOCRACY" is two wolves and a lamb voting on lunch.
"LIBERTY" is a well-armed lamb denying enforcement of the vote.
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