Drug Summary & History
Hydrogen Peroxide (PEROX-AID^®) INAD 11-669

Hydrogen peroxide is a relatively safe compound, which is used as an antimicrobial agent in cheese production, in the treatment of drinking water, as a bleaching agent in the textile industry, and as an antiseptic and treatment for external parasites on fish (Marking et al., 1994).  Hydrogen peroxide is active against a wide variety of other organisms, including bacteria, yeasts, viruses, fungi, and fungal spores (Marking et al. 1994).

Hydrogen peroxide has been used to treat freshwater fish for ectoparasites since the 1930s.  Hydrogen peroxide has been used as a topical bath treatment for ectoparasites of fish (Kabata, 1985), and has been applied as a bath treatment for sea lice in farmed Atlantic salmon in the Faroe Islands, Norway and Scotland (Thomassen et al., 1993), as well as in Canada (personal communication, D. Lovetro, Eka Chemicals).  Hydrogen peroxide treatment has been shown to substantially reduce or eliminate infestations of Ambiphrya or Gyrodactylus on rainbow trout (Rach et al., 2000).  A study on evaluating long-term, low-dose hydrogen peroxide treatment at 25 mg/L indicated this methodology to be an effective treatment for ectoparasites on African cichlids and perhaps other similar species of fish (Montgomery-Brock et al., 2004).  Hydrogen peroxide at 200 mg/L was effective in killing the adult parasite S. chrysophrii taken from the gills of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.) during in vitro treatments (Sitjà-Bobadilla et al, 2006).

In a study conducted by Rach et al. 1997, test tanks containing brown trout, lake trout, channel catfish, and bluegill exhibited no mortalities when exposed to up to 500 mg/L hydrogen peroxide for 15 min every other day for 4 consecutive treatments.  Investigations have found no evidence of toxicity from hydrogen peroxide to glochidia of the plain pocketbook mussel Lampsilis cardium during encystment on largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides when hydrogen peroxide was applied at 100 mg/L for 60 min every other day for 3 treatments (Rach et al. 2006).  Species sensitivity varies widely (Gaikowski et al. 1999; Rach et al. 1997) although tolerance of hydrogen peroxide can be increased by low level pre-exposure (Tort et al. 1998).  Hydrogen peroxide has relatively little environmental impact as it breaks down into water and oxygen (Treasurer et al, 1997) and is relatively safe for users because no harmful fumes are released during application (Rach et al. 1997).

To date, much work has been done to support the development of a New Animal Drug Application (NADA) approval for hydrogen peroxide to control mortality caused by fungal, bacterial, and ectoparasitic diseases in a number of freshwater fish species.  In January 2007 this work resulted in the approval of hydrogen peroxide (35% PEROX‑AID^®) for:

• Control of mortality caused by saprolegniasis in freshwater-reared finfish eggs,
  
  
• Control of mortality caused by bacterial gill disease in freshwater-reared salmonids, and
  
  
• Control of mortality caused by external columnaris in freshwater-reared coolwater finfish and channel catfish.

References:

Gaikowski, M. P., J. J. Rach, and R. T. Ramsay.  1999.  Acute toxicity of hydrogen peroxide treatments to selected lifestages of cold-, cool-, and warmwater fish.  Aquaculture.  178:191-207.

Kabata, Z., 1985. Parasites and Disease of Fish Cultured in the Tropics.  Taylor and Francis, London.  318 pp.

Marking, L. L., J. J. Rach, and T. M. Schreier.  1994.  Evaluation of antifungal agents for fish culture.  The Progressive Fish-Culturist.  56:225-231.

Montgomery-Brock, D., R. P. Weidenbach, E. P. Weidenbach, C. J. Knickerbocker, G. McNaulty, and J. A. Koch.  2004.  Testing the efficacy of a long-term/low-dose hydrogen peroxide treatment on commonly observed ectoparasites of commercially raised freshwater fish in Hawaii.  Center for Tropical and Subtropical Aquaculture, Regional Notes.  15:4-6.

Rach, J. J., T. M. Schreier, G. E. Howe, and S. D. Redman.  1997.  Effect of species, life stage, and water temperature on the toxicity of hydrogen peroxide to fish.  The Progressive Fish-Culturist.  59:41-46.

Rach, J. J., M. P. Gaikowski, and R. T. Ramsay.  2000.  Efficacy of hydrogen peroxide to control parasitic infestations on hatchery-reared fish.  Journal of Aquatic Animal Health.  12:267-273.

Rach, J.J., T. Brady, T. M. Schreier, and D. Aloisi.  2006.  Safety of fish therapeutants to glochidia of the plain pocketbook mussel during encystment on largemouth bass.  North American Journal of Aquaculture.  68:348-354.

Sitjà-Bobadilla, A., M. Conde de Felipe, and P. Alvarez-Pellitero.  2006.  In vivo and in vitro treatments against Sparicotyle chrysophrii (Monogenea: Microcotylidae) parasitizing the gills of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata L.).  Aquaculture.  261:856-864.

Thomassen, J. M., G. A. Boxshall, & D. Defaye, (ed.).  1993.  Pathogens of Wild and Farmed Fish: Sea Lice.  Ellis Horwood.  Chichester, U.K. pp. 290-295.

Tort, M. J., A. J. Kuhl, G. A. Wooster, and P. R. Bowser.  1998.  Modification of walleye (Stizostedion vitreum) tolerance to hydrogen peroxide bath treatments.  Journal World Aquaculture Society. 9(4): 499-504.

Treasurer, J. W., and A. Grant. 1997. The efficacy of hydrogen peroxide for the treatment of farmed Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. infested with sea lice (Copepoda Caligidae). Aquaculture. 148:265-275..