Infection of Achlya sp. associated with dermal ulceration and mortality in an endemic snakehead fish Channa aurantimaculata

The present work reports an infection by Achlya sp., causing severe dermal ulceration and mortality in the endemic snakehead fish Channa aurantimaculata. Achlya sp. associated with the infection was isolated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) and confirmed by light microscopy following lactophenol cotton blue staining. Further confirmation was achieved through molecular characterisation of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene. Additionally, bacterial strains associated with the ulcers, such as Vibrio cholera, Tatumella punctata and Aeromonas sp. were also isolated and characterised by sequencing the 16SrDNA gene. This communication constitutes the first report of Achlya sp. associated with serious mortality in the endemic, ornamental snakehead fish of India. Keywords: Aquarium trade, Fungi, Molds, Pathogenic, Spores