Mucus

[tomc]

This is good (the new area) as I can now ask some questions and received some considered responses.

So what is the cause of the circular mucus patches that I (and others) seem to get on our koi? It normally affects one or two koi at a time. The mucus patches are often very good representations of circles at a £1 coin size. They appear on the head or on the gill plate. The koi is normally totally unaffected by this in terms of appetite and the mucus takes several weeks to go.

I'm not alone in experiencing this. It comes, you look for parasites but none are found, it then goes - but quite often another koi breaks out next.

There's no pattern in terms of conditions (e.g. hot or cold, pH etc).

Attached is a picture. Not the ideal one as more often it is more circular in nature but at least gives an idea.

Tom

[Duncan]

tom

im willing to bet you cant get/rub/scrape this off the fish?

dunc

[tomc]

Heck no.... it's as thick as you like

Tom

[Duncan]

thats cuz its pox mate a real bad case i got a great kohaku in my pond right now looks just the same

bummer

[tomc]

Well, I had considered that but I was bemused by why it consistently blows out on the head like this?

Nothing on the pecs, nothing on the tail.. always on the head.

I've also had it at 23c+ ---- now I appreciate that pox can blow out at any temps but it seemed odd.

Tom

[tomy2ponds]

Normally carp pox go's at higher temps I assume with it being a virus the Koi's immune system at higher temps is much stronger so this is why it go's.If it does not go would it suggest either the koi immune system has not developed the right antibodies or the koi has a weak immune system ??.

[tomc]

Tommy - this is recurrent and moves around a number of koi so I can't see it being one weak immune system or similar. The koi was photographed in mid-summer.

OK, let's go back to basics....

Dunc - can you explan how pox is "triggered" in koi?

Tom

[greg]

Tom,

I'm curious - does it only appear on the head?

I had a chagoi that never really settled into the RO change over (was fine beforehand) and was always what i'd call heavily mucus'd but after looking into it a little deeper and bowling the koi for a couple of hobbyists who i often ask opinions of the conclusion was also pox.

But,

this koi had it appear on the scales also. Never on the fins, however when it appeared on the scales it almost followed them perfectly. It was quite waxy in its texture and not easy to scrape off. When you did manage to peel a bit off with the back of your nail it was quite hard to stick a nail through it to slice it. Also when removed it left a dark patch which over a period of a few days or so would then colour up back normal on the koi. Never any bleeding etc and no signs of damage / infection under it.

[Duncan]

tom, this is a severe case as is the one i have also.

im willing to bet you will be still looking at this mid summer

Pox is easy, think of it as/like human herpes. Herpese lies in waiting in your nervous system for an oportunity to pounce. It goes there because this is the only place your immune system wont go, this is because virus occupies cells and the immune system as has a system called self and non-self. The immune system cant and wont attack itself except where its out in the open then it destroy's the cell to get the virus but the nervous system for obvious reasons is a place it cant do this, incidenatlly this is what an allergy is its the immune system turning in on itself for something it thinks is a threat but actually is not simple because it as a surface that appears similar to a known antigen

right just as with human herpes, when your down maybe have another aliment and you immune system is busy or below par it pounces the cold sore you see on the lip is the fight between good and evil at a local level

well carp pox is just the same it usually comes on in winter when the temperatures are down and the immune system is well below par or any other time when the immune system is not as it should be

[tomc]

Hi Duncan

Thanks for the insights. That picture is from about 2 years ago. It took 6 weeks to clear. However, it repeated on this koi again this autumn and took about a month to clear.

However, I asked because I've just been through it with another koi and that's taken about 3 months to clear. Really hevy on the gills, and so heavy on the nose that you couldn't see the beni.

Greg

Always on the head. Never on the fins. What I do get occasionally it little bits running back on the scales up and towards the dorsal fin. Never tried to scrape it. I did examine the sanke pictured above at the time and all of it was underlying - i.e. not the bulbous or raised but "in the skin".

Tom

[Brockp]

Is it still a notifiable disease ?
Peter

[boogatee]

Carp pox is not a notifiable disease .... it's more of a nuisance disease and something hopefully the koi will outgrow.

I have a Hi-utsuri that for the first four years of it's life got it every winter - it was so widespread that the the sumi looked like a dull black. It's now rokusai (six yrs old) and it doesn't happen anymore.