Branchiomycosis

an infectious illness of pond fish caused by microscopic fungi. Branchiomycosis was first described by M. Plaehn in 1911 in Germany. The disease is widely distributed in the countries of Western Europe and is found in the USSR. The pathogene destroys the branchiate membranes. Diseased fish refuse food and congregate near the shores, rising to the surface of the water, where they take a vertical position. The disease usually shows up in the summer, lasts for two to eight weeks, and results in massive destruction of fish. A quarantine is put on the reservoir, and the sick and dead fish are pulled out and destroyed. In the spring and fall the ponds are disinfected with chlorine or quicklime.