What's this worm?

[thebiggerthebetter]

Hi All,

Had to dissect a ~15" peacock bass today. Turned out it had some kind of internal worms:

-- all about the same size, ~2"-3" long, 1/32"-1/16" diameter, see photos;
-- reside coiled-up tightly, ~3/16" coil diameter, deep within the fish flesh, in pure muscle,
-- everywhere in the flesh, looks like a worm per 1-2 cubic inches,
-- does not appear to be in the intestine although I have not looked too carefully there; the intestine cavity was ~2/3 hollow;
-- the fish looked sickly but not deathly sick, just rough, eyes appeared to be ~2x too big for it, tummy sucked in a bit, fins are a bit misshapen

Does anyone know what this worm is and what treatment would kill it best? Praziquantel? Fenbendazole?

Thanks.

Viktor

 

[Wailua Boy]

Is it segmented or not?

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

It does not look to be. Neither does it feel like it. It's smooth and sticky although not too slimy.

 

[Wailua Boy]

Maybe a type of nematode

 

[thebiggerthebetter]

Thanks, mate.

Looks to me a Eustrongylides species. This is one of the most useful treatises on it I found so far: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa091 Pretty much no cure.

 

[krichardson]

Thanks, mate.

Looks to me a Eustrongylides species. This is one of the most useful treatises on it I found so far: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fa091 Pretty much no cure.

That looks very much like the kind of worm that I removed from one of my datnioides a few years ago.I made a thread and posted a photo of it.

 

[Betta132]

How freshly dead was the fish? Could they just be scavengers?

 

[pops]

I would run a course of Polyguard.

 

[pops]

ohh fish, dead, sorry man, I would still dose the tank.

 

[krichardson]

Not sure if it is the same thing but I went back and checked my old thread and Oddball identified the worm that I removed as a nematode.He also suggested levamisole as a treatment.