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Originally posted by packinupngoin
reply to post by matrix12
I believe this is being downplayed in the media b/c there is no exact and definite reason for the deaths. When sheeple see things that cannot be explained they turn to fear and God.
Saprolegnia, like most water moulds, is both a saprotroph and necrotroph. Typically feeding on waste from fish or other dead cells, they will also take advantage of creatures that have been injured or compromised eggs. When they inhabit a live animal, they exhibit as a fungal infection known as mycoses.
Saprolegnia is generally a secondary pathogen, though in the right circumstances, it can act as primary. It most frequently targets fish, both in the wild and in tank environments. Through cellular necrosis and other epidermal damage, Saprolegnia will spread across the surface of its host as a cotton-like film. Though it often stays in the epidermal layers, the mould does not appear to be tissue specific. A Saprolegnia infection is usually fatal, eventually causing haemodilution, though the time to death varies depending on the initial site of the infection, rate of growth and the ability of the organism to withstand the stress of the infection.