Uronema heteromarinum

[SMSREEF]

I had an eDNA sample from my tank come back positive for Uronema heteromarinum.

I can’t find any info about this organism causing disease in fish.

Does anyone have any information about this strain of Uronema and if it is harmful to fish?

 

[vetteguy53081]

Uronema marinum is a ciliate parasite with a direct life cycle: It lives, feeds and reproduces directly on the fish (no encysted stage). However, there always exists the possibility that parasites can drop off into the water column and infect other fish.
These are generally red sores most often seen on chromis damsels; however it can afflict any fish. Treatment of choice is a 45 minute formalin bath ( using Quick Cure), followed by transfer into a new/sterile QT. Once in QT, it is very important to do followup treatment to ensure all of the parasites have been eliminated. This can be accomplished by dosing and food soaking metronidazole (Seachem Metroplex) for 10-14 days. A formalin or Ruby Reef Rally bath are the two best options for providing relief to infected fish

 

[SMSREEF]

Uronema marinum is a ciliate parasite with a direct life cycle: It lives, feeds and reproduces directly on the fish (no encysted stage). However, there always exists the possibility that parasites can drop off into the water column and infect other fish.
These are generally red sores most often seen on chromis damsels; however it can afflict any fish. Treatment of choice is a 45 minute formalin bath ( using Quick Cure), followed by transfer into a new/sterile QT. Once in QT, it is very important to do followup treatment to ensure all of the parasites have been eliminated. This can be accomplished by dosing and food soaking metronidazole (Seachem Metroplex) for 10-14 days. A formalin or Ruby Reef Rally bath are the two best options for providing relief to infected fish

Thanks @vetteguy53081
I am asking about a different strain Uronema heteromarinum. This is the one that is on my eDNA test.

I want to know if anybody has info about it causing disease in fish like Uronema marinum. I can’t find any research discussing it other than a link to a coral disease.

 

[DrZoidburg]

I would treat uronema heteromarinum as if it was the other kinds. Only difference I can find briefly searching is dna differences.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I would treat uronema heteromarinum as if it was the other kinds. Only difference I can find briefly searching is dna differences.

agreed why I posted what I did. In essence, it is marinum but in a different form, but same effect.
hetero is - a combining form meaning “different,” or “other,”

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

I had an eDNA sample from my tank come back positive for Uronema heteromarinum.

I can’t find any info about this organism causing disease in fish.

Does anyone have any information about this strain of Uronema and if it is harmful to fish?

That is a species described in 2010. It is morphologically very similar to Uronema marinum.

Don't get too worried about the genus name. This group are NOT obligate parasites, their normal diet is bacteria. They belong to a group known as "marine scuticociliates". When an aquarium person says "Uronema" they are really just saying that, as we do not have the ability to take these organisms even to the genus level.

"Uronema" as a fish disease has fairly limited spread; it is most common in newly acquired green chromis, yellow coris and anthias. I do see it in a few other species from time to time, but it is VERY rare in established fish.

Jay

 

[SMSREEF]

That is a species described in 2010. It is morphologically very similar to Uronema marinum.

Don't get too worried about the genus name. This group are NOT obligate parasites, their normal diet is bacteria. They belong to a group known as "marine scuticociliates". When an aquarium person says "Uronema" they are really just saying that, as we do not have the ability to take these organisms even to the genus level.

"Uronema" as a fish disease has fairly limited spread; it is most common in newly acquired green chromis, yellow coris and anthias. I do see it in a few other species from time to time, but it is VERY rare in established fish.

Jay

Thanks Jay.
All my fish are fine. I’m feeding good quality food with Selcon and sometimes beta glucan. I think the LRS food has probiotics

It’s a reef with corals inverts macroalgae so I was considering metronidazole for the tank but very worried about that.

How common it is to have one of the strains of uronema in our tanks and not have any problems with fish?

It seems like it would be easy to get it in our tanks from not only fish, but also coral frags, live rock or inverts.

 

[Dolphins18]

That is a species described in 2010. It is morphologically very similar to Uronema marinum.

Don't get too worried about the genus name. This group are NOT obligate parasites, their normal diet is bacteria. They belong to a group known as "marine scuticociliates". When an aquarium person says "Uronema" they are really just saying that, as we do not have the ability to take these organisms even to the genus level.

"Uronema" as a fish disease has fairly limited spread; it is most common in newly acquired green chromis, yellow coris and anthias. I do see it in a few other species from time to time, but it is VERY rare in established fish.

Jay

Does this mean in a sense that Uronema is often carried by anthias and chromis but some have the immune system to fight it off naturally? I see it more and more these days. I picked up anthias not too long ago that were in a tank of 6, then a couple days after picking up 3 all the others had uronema (at the store). I feel it is fairly likely that it didn't jump on them in a day, the ones I picked up never showed any symptoms.
I did not quarantine the ones I got, just curious as I don't know much about this disease. Sorry if Hijacking this thread did not want to make a whole thread just for this.

 

[SMSREEF]

Sorry if Hijacking this thread did not want to make a whole thread just for this.

No worries! I’m very interested too.

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Does this mean in a sense that Uronema is often carried by anthias and chromis but some have the immune system to fight it off naturally? I see it more and more these days. I picked up anthias not too long ago that were in a tank of 6, then a couple days after picking up 3 all the others had uronema (at the store). I feel it is fairly likely that it didn't jump on them in a day, the ones I picked up never showed any symptoms.
I did not quarantine the ones I got, just curious as I don't know much about this disease. Sorry if Hijacking this thread did not want to make a whole thread just for this.

Uronema presents as an inter-cellular facultative parasite, I don't know the mode of transmission. It is unlikely that fish are "carriers" though. I've heard the thought that they get inside a fish and feed on a latent bacterial infection, and then just don't when to stop and begin consuming fish cells. I don't know if that is correct or not - but it is very common to see both bacteria and Uronema in the same lesion.

Jay

 

[Jay Hemdal Verified Community Expert]

Thanks Jay.
All my fish are fine. I’m feeding good quality food with Selcon and sometimes beta glucan. I think the LRS food has probiotics

It’s a reef with corals inverts macroalgae so I was considering metronidazole for the tank but very worried about that.

How common it is to have one of the strains of uronema in our tanks and not have any problems with fish?

It seems like it would be easy to get it in our tanks from not only fish, but also coral frags, live rock or inverts.

Thanks Jay.
All my fish are fine. I’m feeding good quality food with Selcon and sometimes beta glucan. I think the LRS food has probiotics

It’s a reef with corals inverts macroalgae so I was considering metronidazole for the tank but very worried about that.

How common it is to have one of the strains of uronema in our tanks and not have any problems with fish?

It seems like it would be easy to get it in our tanks from not only fish, but also coral frags, live rock or inverts.

Marine scuticociliates can be isolated from most mature marine aquariums, they are a natural part of the microbiome. Trouble is, nobody I know of can accurately identify these to genus just be looking at them under a microscope. That means there is no way to tell if the ones present can infect fish or not.

To put this in perspective though - I have not seen a case of scuticociliate infection in a marine fish in the past 20 years that wasn't found on a fairly new importation (like less than 45 days). I'm not saying it can't happen, but I've dealt with thousands of fish during that time and I've not seen it.

Jay

 

[SMSREEF]

Marine scuticociliates can be isolated from most mature marine aquariums, they are a natural part of the microbiome. Trouble is, nobody I know of can accurately identify these to genus just be looking at them under a microscope. That means there is no way to tell if the ones present can infect fish or not.

To put this in perspective though - I have not seen a case of scuticociliate infection in a marine fish in the past 20 years that wasn't found on a fairly new importation (like less than 45 days). I'm not saying it can't happen, but I've dealt with thousands of fish during that time and I've not seen it.

Jay

This is reassuring. Thank you so much!