Okay all you biologist thinkers. I just saw something I've never seen before. We continued our electrofishing expedition here at Richmond Mill Lake. As we were working the fish, I saw a condition I haven't ever seen...in 30 years of this business. Looking at one large bluegill, I thought it was blind in one eye. As I looked closer, here's what I saw. I'll let the photos speak next.
Close up....
I took an exacto knife, cut barely through the cornea of the fish and pulled out the worm with tweezers.
Here's the total worm (I accidently broke it)....pretty interesting.
I looked for this thing on the web and didn't find anything, but I'm short on time to really dig into it. Anybody know anything about this parasite?
Whatever it is, it looks nasty!
Just a guess, it is probably some sort of nematode or round worm normally found in the intestines or elsewhere in fish. A more common eye parasite in fish is a type of fluke that causes cloudy eyes but they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Somewhere, someone is reading this at lunch time.
Not at lunch time Theo, but shortly after.
That angel hair pasta you had isn't sitting too well now?
I think Brett295 will be fine as long as it doesn't start moving in the bowl.
It looks like an eye fluke to me. My old biology professor in college studied parasites extensively, if you want I can send to pictures to him and see if he can give an exact ID. Bill may know of the top of his head though...
CJ I thought at first it was an eye fluke (Diplostomum spp.) also . A little checking and I don't think so. Every thing I find on eye flukes indicates you can't see them with your eyes but they do cause the same opaque eye covering. Still checking. I know I have seen this written about before.
Eric, as I recall there are 3 genera of eye flukes.
Bob am I missing something? Is this not an ocular nematode? Great pics as always.
We see a few in about every fifth pond we shock. Popeye disease is coommon term. Matt usualy impresses the client with his quick otolith extraction while I do the eye exam and pullout a little worm that before their eyes becoems 6 inches.
The occurance is higher in ponds that are older with mucky bottoms and more common in bluegll that I would classify as under nourished. I have seen in some case 20-30% of bluegill have them. Many times up to 3 neamtodes per eye major bulging there. NEVER have we seen them in any sepecies outside the bluegill. If something else please enlighten me.
Greg, how do you feel, on the inside, when you pull out a worm from the fish's eye in front of clients?
I seems that thing WOULD cause blindness, or at least, very poor vision; which leads me to the 2nd part of the equation, which first, chicken or egg?
Nematodes or under nourishment due to poor sight?
actually sunil I feel cool like a surgeon might feel after brain surgery. I let the fish swim off with better vision with only a small cornea incision. I paid big bucks for my lasik, he got it for free.
Yes Burger.....the population dynamics indicate lots of competetion of food or very little food. So I think poor health suprseed "fight" then they get the neamtode that then yes leads to even poorer conditions, but what do I know.
actually sunil I feel cool like a surgeon might feel after brain surgery. I let the fish swim off with better vision with only a small cornea incision. I paid big bucks for my lasik, he got it for free.
Yes Burger.....the population dynamics indicate lots of competetion of food or very little food. So I think poor health suprseed "fight" then they get the neamtode that then yes leads to even poorer conditions, but what do I know.
GREG KNOWS NEMATODES...........AND FISH
Here is an interesting note on flukes and fish.
http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/pfk/pages/item.php?news=936 A fish parasite that spends part of its life inside fish-eating birds has been shown to manipulate the behaviour of host fish to make them more likely to be consumed by birds.
The trematode eye fluke Diplostomum spathaceum has been shown to induce the formation of cataracts in the eyes of infected fish, which makes the fish more susceptible to avian predators and reduces their ability to escape.
According to a study by Seppala, Karvonen and Tellervo of the University of Jyv�skyl� in Finland, the catchability of fish was higher when they had a parasite-induced cataract, and the eye flukes only manipulated their hosts when they had fully developed inside the fish eye.
By waiting until they were fully-formed, and ready to enter the next stage of their life cycle within the gut of a piscvirous bird, the parasites were able to manipulate the host when they were at their most infective.
The paper suggests that selection may also play a part in the occurence: "Intensity of infection, however, did not affect vulnerability of fish to capture by dip-net.
"These findings suggest that the ability of the parasite to manipulate fish behaviour by impairing its vision may have resulted from selection preferring parasite genotypes with higher transmission efficiency."
For more information see the journal paper: Seppala O, Karvonen A and E Tellervo Valtonen (2005) - Manipulation of fish next term host by eye flukes in relation to cataract formation and parasite infectivity. Animal Behaviour. Volume 70, Issue 4, October 2005, Pages 889-894.
Nature sure has some nasty things, this one may even top the bot fly!
"actually sunil I feel cool like a surgeon might feel after brain surgery. I let the fish swim off with better vision with only a small cornea incision. I paid big bucks for my lasik, he got it for free."
That's why I love you Mabro!
Let me put my sentiments into a PM with around (50) other forum members........(kidding, just kidding!)
It's extra terrestrial -- I mean extra aquatic.
I've seen "pop-eye" fairly frequently, but have never see a worm inside the eye of a fish. This fish's eye was properly in its socket. The bluegill weighed almost a pound and has a fat gut. It gets all the feed it wants, every day, twice a day. I extracted the worm, the fish said, "Thanks" and we let it go back into the balmy depths of tea-colored Richmond Mill Lake.
A lot of times trematodes (a.k.a. flukes) will cause cataracts in the eyes of the fish. You can see the flukes part of the time.
However, this is no fluke. Greg is correct in that it is almost certainly a nematode, but definitely not a fluke. Tough to say what species other than to say that it is generically a nematode.
Along this topic, queston for Ewest or anyone else. Eric, do you know if the AFS book on bluegill contains a chapter on diseases or discusses issues like this pertaining to BG?
Thank you.
Russ
Russ, JHAP is deeply hurt due to the fact that you didn't seek his help in your quest for knowledge.
Philometra intraocular maybe. Seems to be a common ocular nematode of bluegills. This study "Vision impairment in the bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus, caused by an intraocular nematode, Philometra sp." was written by James Dalton Byrd in 1982. I can't find any pictures or get to this article...du
Sunil, my apologies to you and JHAP. Let me make it up to you by letting JAHP buy you lunch and a T shirt at the convention.
Russ
Russ, regardless of JHAP's lack of response, I humbly accept your offer.
You are a diplomat and a scholar.
Here is a little info.
bluegill may have an internal parasite in his left eye. His left eye has a small red worm like thing on the inside. I noticed he can still move and position his eye. It is on the very top of his eye not blocking any of his vision but if it is a parasite I want to get rid of it soon.
I very recently had the saem problem with some of my wild caught hand paint bluegill. I carefully lacerated the skin above the parasite and began pulling it slowly with a pair of tweezers.
Were you able to ID the worm - at least to class?
Nematomorpha
The eye fluke Diplostomulum - Eye Grubs (Diplostomulum)
An eye nematode ( Philometra interoculus) was noted in bluegill from the experimental pond which were 60mm total length or longer.
Russ -- the AFS bluegill book doesn't have a diseases/parasites chapter. Chapter titles are: movement; sensory perception; foraging; competition; predation; reproduction; development, growth and mortality; and management.
All parasites are terrible. Lamprey, leaches ticks, skeeters, and in laws who come for a little visit and won't leave. I find an ice pick to one of the kids eyes usually get the point (pun intended). BOb-O
First off, horrible pictures and absolutely disgusting explanation. This place is going to hell in a handbasket. There. I said it. I turn my back on this site for a mere few days to celebrate my wife's return home and what happens?
Disgusting filth gets posted to the forum. Nastly eyeball photos, worm in eyes, good lord. Have you people no sense of decorum what so ever?
"Hi new forum member, we are so glad you found pond boss. Now look at this incredibly disgusting photo of a worm infected fish eyeball."
For goodness sake people. There are plenty of other web sites to post this type of trash. And if you can't find one then I suggest you creat your own. I believe that the name "www.worminfectedeyeballs.com" is still available.
You people make me sick. No seriously, I think I puked in my mouth a little.
Can I add a steak dinner in to Russ's offer, JHAP?
You certainly can Sunil.
But I get to pick out the T Shirt.