Clinical Lesions and Presumptive Bacterial Associations with Fin and Tail Rot in Ornamental Goldfish

Yafes Ali Shah — 2026-10-15

Background: Fin and tail rot is a common clinical syndrome in ornamental goldfish, but distinguishing disease-associated bacteria from background carriage remains challenging. This study characterised clinical and gross pathological abnormalities and compared presumptive Aeromonas and Pseudomonas recovery between affected and apparently healthy goldfish.

Methods: A total of 300 fish from five aquarium shops in Bannu, Pakistan, were examined: 250 clinically affected and 50 apparently healthy. Of the affected fish, 235 underwent postmortem examination and bacterial culture, while 15 were monitored for 24 days under improved husbandry conditions. Isolates were classified presumptively using colony morphology, Gram staining, and microscopy, and group differences were statistically assessed.

Results: Presumptive Aeromonas and Pseudomonas were recovered from 150/235 (63.8%) and 85/235 (36.2%) affected fish, respectively, compared with 15/50 (30.0%) and 4/50 (8.0%) apparently healthy fish. Recovery distributions differed significantly (χ² (2) = 164.33, p < 0.001; Cramer’s V = 0.759), with higher odds of Aeromonas (OR = 4.12) and Pseudomonas (OR = 6.52) recovery in affected fish. Fish length was not associated with bacterial classification. Clinical signs included fin erosion, haemorrhage and ulceration, alongside variable gross internal abnormalities. Twelve of 15 monitored fish (80.0%) showed resolution of visible signs.

Conclusion: These findings indicate an association between clinical disease and increased recovery of presumptive bacterial groups, despite their presence in apparently healthy fish. Species identity, pathogenic causation, and husbandry efficacy remain unconfirmed without molecular identification, controlled infection studies, and untreated intervention controls. Clinical improvement also could not establish bacterial clearance because fish with resolved signs were not retested bacteriologically after observation.

Effects of Effective Microorganisms Combined With Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on the Mineral Composition and Biochemical Quality of Onion (Allium cepa L.) and Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)

Salma Shaheen — 2026-10-24

Background and objectives: Effective microorganisms (EM) are promoted as a way of improving the efficiency of organic nutrient sources, but their effect on the nutritional quality of vegetables under different organic–inorganic fertilizer regimes is not well established. We tested the hypothesis that the response to EM depends on fertilizer source and rate, and compared fertilizer combinations, with and without EM, for their effects on the mineral composition and biochemical quality of onion (Allium cepa L.) and spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.).

Methods: Five pot-culture trials were conducted at Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan, in 2009-10 and 2010-11, each as a completely randomized design with a split-plot arrangement (EM, applied or not, as the main factor; fertilizer treatment as the sub-factor) and three replications. The untreated control (T0) received no EM and was shared by both EM levels, so the EM effect and the EM × fertilizer interaction were tested on the fertilized treatments only. Trial I compared sole organic manure or NPK; Trials II–V combined organic manure at 100% or 50% of the recommended dose with NPK at 100% or 50%, using farmyard manure, pressmud, compost and poultry manure. Macronutrients (Na, Ca, Mg, N, P, K), micronutrients (Zn, Fe, Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni), dietary fiber, vitamin C, and crude protein (total N × 6.25) were determined in spinach leaves and onion bulbs, and data were analysed by ANOVA with LSD comparisons at p < 0.05.

Results: Fertilizer treatment affected (LSD, p < 0.05) the mineral composition and biochemical quality of onion and spinach, whereas the EM effect and EM × fertilizer interaction varied among traits and trials and are interpreted as trends. Pressmud generally gave the highest concentrations of minerals, dietary fiber, vitamin C, and crude protein, and EM generally increased them further, although the EM benefit varied among trials and traits. In spinach (Trial I, 2010-11), pressmud with EM increased N, P and K by up to 70, 29 and 23% and dietary fiber, vitamin C and crude protein by up to 71, 65 and 60%, respectively, over the untreated control. Relative increases in onion were larger (crude protein almost eleven-fold) because baseline values in unfertilized bulbs were very low. Farmyard manure, compost and poultry manure gave smaller improvements.

Conclusions: Pressmud combined with NPK and EM warrants further evaluation as a strategy for improving the nutritional quality of spinach and onion. These data do not by themselves establish synergy between EM and fertilizer or any saving of fertilizer. Increases in sodium, chromium and nickel concentrations are not necessarily nutritional benefits and require food-safety assessment. Even on a dry-weight basis, onion Cr and Ni concentrations were well below the FAO/WHO guideline values commonly cited for vegetables (2.3 and 5.0 mg kg⁻¹), whereas the dietary significance of the higher sodium requires fresh-weight, portion-based assessment.

Limitations: The results come from pot experiments with a single soil at one location and need validation under field conditions; microbial activity, soil properties, yield, and economics were not assessed. ANOVA summary statistics are not reported.

International Journal of Agriculture Innovations and Cutting-Edge Research

Clinical Lesions and Presumptive Bacterial Associations with Fin and Tail Rot in Ornamental Goldfish

Effects of Effective Microorganisms Combined With Organic and Inorganic Fertilizers on the Mineral Composition and Biochemical Quality of Onion (Allium cepa L.) and Spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.)