[Spike Cover]

Calling all fish geeks….

Andy is a good guy and a real friend of koi. I’ve asked the KHA group to help but Andy is not getting nearly enough samples to do his study.

Here’s the email Andy sent with the specifics and where to ship the samples.
__________________________________________________ _____________
Hi Spike,

I am very much in need of DNA from koi and goldfish ulcers. What I need folks to do is to take a very clean swab (a Q-tip is fine), rub it around the edge of the lesion and under the scales, then put the top of the swab in a vial with 70% alcohol and ship it to me by regular mail. Also helpful would be any information about water temperatures during the outbreak and any antibiotic treatments used. We are trying to figure out what really causes fish ulcers.

How do I get the word out? Do I contact Doc. Johnson too?

Thanks,
Andy

Andrew E. Goodwin, Ph.D.
Professor/Associate Director
Fish Pathologist/Inspector (AFS-FHS)
Aquaculture/Fisheries Center
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff
1200 N. University Drive Mail Slot 4912
Pine Bluff, AR 71601

Phone 1-870-575-8137
FAX 1-870-575-4638
Mobile 1-870-540-7811
email agoodwin@uaex.edu
__________________________________________________ _____________________

Since my original request, folks have cautioned against shipping flammable stuff via the U.S. post office. I checked their web site and they definitely have no sense of humor about those sorts of things. I'm guessing that if you've already done it and the thing is sealed and packaged well, you'll likely be OK. But if you're inclined to do it by the numbers, here's what I found out:

The UPS hazmet lady (at 800-554-9964) told me this on the phone. If you mark the package with "This package conforms to 49CFR173.4," you can ship an ounce or less of flammable liquid by UPS ground.

The question has come up about how many samples Andy needs/wants. He says that if he had a couple of hundred from around the country, he'd be a happy camper. And he says that when he has enough, he'll let me know. Then I'll let you know (by posting it here).

Geez Louise. I sent a little package of under a pound to Andy (via UPS) and it cost $6.60. I MAY consider mailing them next time.

Options
Send UPS ground - about $6- $7 with the blurb about conforming to 49CFR173.4.

Or if sent via the Post Office, consider the following:
Use an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals test tube (with plastic cap) - make sure it's clean (just wash it out a couple of times). Put about 5 ml of regular rubbing alcohol (70% or 90% from RiteAid or Savon - whatever) in the tube.
BEFORE you treat the ulcer, do a good swab of the ulcer with a Q-tip and snip off the end (wire cutters work well) while the end is inserted into the tube of alcohol. Do the same with the other end.
Using black 3/4" wide electrical tape, tape the cap on the test tube so that it doesn't leak or come off in shipping.
Wrap the test tube in a bit of paper towel and insert it into a piece of 3/4" PVC tubing - about 1/2" longer than the test tube.
Put electrical tape lengthwise around the pipe so the tube doesn't come out.
Wrap the pipe with packing like bubble wrap (or whatever you have) and put it in an envelope.
Put in a note about where the ulcer was located on the fish, the date you took the swabs and the water temperature the fish was in. Also, if you had treated the fish previously, note that. Please do not use topicals on the ulcer prior to taking the swabs.

Send the whole thing to Andy. If sent via the USPS and packaged as above, it costs less than $1.

This is our chance to thank Andy for what he’s done for us. Please, don’t wait for someone else to do it. Feel free to email me at scover@pacbell.net with questions.

Thanks,
Spike