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Possible picorna-like virus of amphibians
Scratching disease of frogs
Extract from above...
"Symptoms
Your Frogs will begin scratching
themselves, especially on the flanks and dorsum. This behavior will
be more intensified right after you have misted the vivarium. As
time goes on, the affected frog(s) will become more lethargic,
eventually stopping all activity and then refusing food. If nothing
is done, the frog will end up dying, and he usually seeks out a pool
or waterdish to expire in. If an aquatic frog that lives with
snails, remove them now, place in their
own tank from now on. That means forever.
What to do Now
You'll need one
Inpharzam
tablet or capsule. Grind well into a powder with a clean mortar and
pestle. Add 2 ounces of distilled water to the crushed tablet. Swirl
and try to dissolve all into water before transferring to a clean
eyedropper. (Label it as "Inpharzam", so you can use rest later for
other treatments if needed.)
Quarantine the frog.
Add one drop every other day for 6 days (a total of 3 treatments).
to his dorsum via eyedropper. If he's an aquatic frog, place him in
a 1 quart bath in which you've added 3 drops of the medication. Dump
the old bath when ready to give new treatment. After the bath, rinse
the aquatic in proper temp. clean treated water before return to
hospital tank.
The saddest part of this disease, is
the fact that even though this may "cure" the frog(s) he may still
be a "carrier" of it. Therefore, He
(they) should now be kept in a new vivarium/tank all to themselves."
Saving and Managing Dendrobatid Frogs in Original Rainforests
Extract on Scratching Disease...
"There were some projects to breed poison dart frogs in Costa Rica
and Ecuador, but most of them have nothing to do with a
scientifically planned management and are at the best cover ups for
the direct extraction of wild caught reproductors! One of the first
real breeding farms attempted by Mr. Siegfried, (Costa Rica) in the
80's failed by introduction of the Scratching Disease virus into his
installations. This mortal and highly contaminating virus is present
in natural populations of Dendrobates granuliferus and a
similar one (or the same) in Dendrobates tinctorius from
French Guyana. Recently, Dr. Jack K. Frenkel, Sta. Fe, USA, could
provide the first electron microscope photos, showing this new
Pico-RNA virus, destroying muscle tissue of a D. auratus
sample."
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