Whirling Disease

[icefool]

I have a question on whirling disease. I haven't been abl to find what the symptoms are. I know they go around in circles. We were fishing Payson Lakes late in the evening and this fish came really close to shore, he was very long and skinny,he was kinda swimming in circles but not. He had his mouth wide open. Just looked really strange. I was wondering if maybe he had whirling.
[signature]

[BEARCLAW]

Hey IF,

I found this info on Whirling Disease and thought I'd share it with you.

Myxobolus cerebralis is a metazoan parasite that penetrates the head and spinal cartilage of fingerling trout where it multiplies very rapidly, putting pressure on the organ of equilibrium. This causes the fish to swim erratically (whirl), and have difficulty feeding and avoiding predators. In severe infections, the disease can cause high rates of mortality in young-of-the-year fish. Those that survive until the cartilage hardens to bone can live a normal life span, but are marred by skeletal deformities. Fish can, however reproduce without passing on the parasite to their offspring.



The minute organism, native to the Eurasian continent, was introduced into North American waters in the late 1950s. So far its severe damage has been primarily to wild rainbow populations, although many other salmonid species can become infected, with or without clinical disease. Brown trout, also a European import, become infected by M.cerebralis, but rarely suffer clinical disease. Under some circumstances infected browns suffer some mortality, but they always insure the survival of the parasite.

Regardless of species, when each infected fish dies, many thousands to millions of the parasite spores are released to the water.[unsure]

Therein lies the gravity of the whirling disease problem. [i]M.cerebralis[/i] is virtually indestructible -- the spore can withstand freezing and desiccation, and can survive in a stream for 20 to 30 years. Eventually, it must be ingested by its alternate host, a tiny and common aquatic worm known as Tubifex tubifex, where the spore takes on the form that once again will infect trout fry. The parasite is sure to continue to spread to drainages now clean, since it is so easily and unknowingly transported by animals, birds and humans.
[signature]

[cat_man]

It could have been a wounded fish that was released after being hooked, and now is just wandering until it eventually dies or recovers and resumes eating. I've seen fish caught and released then they just sort of roam the shallows in some kind of stupor (wouldn't you if you'd been dragged down the street by your lips?) Just another possibility. [cool]
[signature]

[Kayote]

Very few adult trout in Utah ever actually show behavioral symptoms of whirling disease. Most infected fish are identified in the lab.

Good Fishing, Kayote
[signature]