Efficacy of Copper Sulfate for the Treatment of Ichthyophthiriasis in Channel Catfish

Abstract

Ichthyophthirius multifiliis is a protozoan that may infest and significantly damage cultured fish species. The purpose of this study was to measure the efficacy of copper sulfate in treating ichthyophthiriasis. Fingerling channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus exposed to at least 2,000 theronts of I. multifiliis per liter of water developed consistent infestations of I. multifiliis (20 or more trophonts on the dorsal surface of the head of the fish). Infestation was observed in untreated controls at day 5 after exposure and mortality occurred after day 10. Coexposure studies with theronts and different concentrations of copper sulfate revealed that all theronts were killed at concentrations greater than 0.05 mg/L. To determine the effect of copper sulfate in the treatment of ichthyophthiriasis, fish were exposed to the parasite until trophonts were observed (day 5), and they were subsequently treated with copper sulfate. The lowest effective concentration of copper sulfate for treatment of ichthyophthiriasis (i.e., after infestation was observed in the fish) was 0.4 mg/L. To assess the effects of various water quality conditions on copper treatment, total suspended solids (TSS) and pH were varied during treatment of ichthyophthiriasis. Concentration of TSS was inversely correlated to the efficacy of copper sulfate for I. multifiliis infestations, whereas no relationship was observed between pH and efficacy of a single copper sulfate dose. The results indicated that copper sulfate can be used to treat ichthyophthiriasis at concentrations of 0.4 mg/L for at least 5 d under the specific water conditions used in this study (pH, 7.45 ± 0.27; temperature, 20.5 ± 0.7°C; alkalinity, 176.6 ± 28.1 mg/L as CaCO3) and that efficacy of copper sulfate was affected more by TSS concentration than by pH.