Carp Dropsy

an infectious disease of cyprinoid fishes. It is recorded in European and South American countries and in India. The cause of carp dropsy has not been conclusively determined. Fish of all ages are affected, particularly during the spring arid summer. The acute form of the disease is characterized by hemorrhagic inflammation of the skin covering and fins, edema, exophthalmos, and rumpling of the scales. In chronic cases the body becomes covered with ulcers that later cicatrize. Epizootic carp dropsy results in the mass death of the infected fish. The disease is not dangerous to humans or other warm-blooded animals. Basic to the control of carp dropsy are sanitation measures, medicinal agents, and selective breeding.