Disinfectant (F10SC) nebulisation in the treatment of ‘red leg syndrome’ in amphibians

DERMATOSEPTICAEMIA, better known as red leg syndrome (RLS), is a common clinical manifestation of transport stress in amphibians (Taylor and others 2001, Wright 2006). Poor hygiene, dehydration, mechanical damage to skin and any disease or stress resulting in immunosuppression are recognised as contributing to development of the condition (Wright 2006). The clinical signs of RLS may include skin discoloration, superficial ulceration, abscessation, ocular lesions, hyperaemia or petechiation of the skin (especially to the ventral thigh and drink patch), depression, anorexia, weight loss, digital necrosis, both subcutaneous and intracoelomic oedema, multisystemic ecchymotic haemorrhages and sudden death (Taylor and others 2001, Pasteris and others 2006). Aeromonads, especially Aeromonas hydrophila, are traditionally reported as the aetiological agents (Huys and others 2003, Wright 2006), although it is recognised that these bacteria can be cultured from the skin of healthy frogs as well (Simmaco and others 1998). Other bacteria that have been reported to cause clinical signs attributable to classical RLS include Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus aureus and Enterococcus strains (Pasteris and others 2006), and Pseudomonas, Citrobacter, Klebsiella and Flavobacterium species (Taylor and others 2001). The clinical signs of RLS have also been reported to be associated with fungi such as Basidiobolus ranarum (Taylor and others 1999) and Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Cunningham and others …