title: Evaluation of potassium permanganate against an experimental subacute infection of Flavobacterium columnare in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus (Rafinesque).
abstract: An experiment was performed to evaluate the efficacy of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) as a prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of an experimental subacute infection of Flavobacterium columnare in channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. Fish were cutaneously abraded and divided into five treatment groups: (i) challenged by waterborne exposure to F. columnare and not treated with KMnO4 (positive control), (ii) challenged and simultaneously treated with KMnO4, (iii) challenged and treated with KMnO4 at 1, 6 and 9 days post-challenge, (iv) not challenged and treated with KMnO4 at 1, 6 and 9 days post-challenge (first negative control) and (v) not challenged and not treated (second negative control). The dosing of KMnO4 was 2.0 mg L(-1) above the potassium permanganate demand for 2 h duration. The survival of the group challenged and simultaneously treated with KMnO4 (99%) was significantly higher than the positive control (78%) and was not significantly different from the negative control groups. The challenged fish treated with KMnO4 post-challenge had 7% higher survival than the positive control (85% compared with 78%), but that difference was not statistically significant. The results demonstrate that KMnO4 has a clear prophylactic value but probably a marginal therapeutic value once the infection has established.
authors.affiliation: Harry K. Dupree-Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Center, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Stuttgart, Arkansas, USA. ahmed.darwish@ars.usda.gov
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Darwish
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Mitchell
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Straus
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control; D045826:Flavobacteriaceae Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000382:microbiology / Q000401:mortality / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000662:veterinary*; D005417:Flavobacterium / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007059:Ictaluridae / Q000382:microbiology*; D011196:Potassium Permanganate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011897:Random Allocation; D016019:Survival Analysis
chemical_list: D011196:Potassium Permanganate