Associate Professor

V.M.D., 1992  University of Pennsylvania

B.A., Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, 1986
   Yale University

Roy Yanong's longtime interest as a tropical fish hobbyist eventually resulted in a career in fish veterinary medicine. After college, Yanong worked at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine, studying leukemia in soft-shell clams from Boston Harbor. Two years later, he attended the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine where he concentrated in aquatic animal medicine and received his V.M.D. in May 1992. Two months later, he was hired by 5-D Tropical, Inc., a large ornamental fish farm in Plant City, Florida where he was quickly immersed into the industry. He worked as staff veterinarian there for four and a half years.

In 1996, he joined UF/IFAS' Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory (TAL) in Ruskin where he provides extension, research, and educational programs in fish health management, including on-site veterinary assistance and disease diagnostic support for aquaculturists throughout the state.

Roy and his colleagues at the TAL, Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences, and the College of Veterinary Medicine work collaboratively to promote the advancement of aquatic animal medicine and fish health management through courses, internships, externships, extension and scientific publications, continuing education sessions, and other venues.

Over the years, Roy has participated in a number of local, state, and national fish health-related committees. He is currently a member of the American Veterinary Medical Association's Aquatic Veterinary Medicine Committee (AVMC) and Animal Agriculture Liaison Committee (AALC). He is also an active member of the International Association for Aquatic Animal Medicine, as well as several other aquaculture and fish health organizations.

Roy's research program is applied and industry-driven, and concentrated primarily in ornamental fish species. Guidance is received through the Tropical Aquaculture Lab's (TAL) Aquaculture Advisory Committee, the Florida Tropical Fish Farms Association's Research and Fish Health Committees, and the Florida Aquaculture Association.

Losses caused by disease in Florida's tropical fish industry have major economic impact.Consequently, his program has been focused in two major areas of concern: 1) diseases of production and 2) drugs, chemicals, and biologics. Research interests involving diseases of production include: determination of production risk factors for disease and reducing those risks; development of improved harvesting, grading, and transport technology for ornamental fish; clinical/pathologic characterization of ornamental fish diseases (such as cryptobiosis in cichlids and mycobacteriosis in frogfish).

Drugs, chemicals, and biologics are important fish health management tools. Even the best-managed farms have disease and require some type of therapy. Given the present FDA-approval process, pharmaceutical companies have had little economic incentive to apply for drug approvals for ornamental fish. However, with the passage of the Minor Use Minor Species (MUMS) Act, there is more interest in ornamental fish.The TALhas been working closely with companies who are interested in gaining FDA approval for drugs. Biologics such as vaccines can be cost-effective, but have not been used routinely in Florida's aquaculture industries.Projects include completed or ongoing research on: florfenicol, a very effective antibiotic that had not been used previously in the industry; Pyceze (bronopol) an antibacterial and anti-fungal also not currently used in the industry; use of different chemicals against Cryptobia iubilans, an important parasite of an important group of fish, the cichlids; 17-alpha-methyltestosterone, a chemical used to masculinize swordtails; use of different sedation and anesthetic agents; and vaccine production and feasibility against important bacterial diseases. Non-funded projects include: use of hydrogen peroxide against external bacteria and parasites and toxicity of recommended adult doses of formalin and salt treatments to fish larvae and fry.
 
 
 

E-mail: rpy@ufl.edu

Phone: 813-671-5230 ext.104

Curriculum Vitae - all publications included.

Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory

Dr. Roy P. Yanong, VMD
Tropical Aquaculture Laboratory
Dept. of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
University of Florida/IFAS
1408 24th St. SE
Ruskin, FL 33570

Selected Publications

Russo, R., E.W. Curtis, and R.P.E. Yanong. 2007. Preliminary investigations of hydrogen peroxide treatment of selected ornamental fishes and efficacy against external bacteria and parasites in green swordtails. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 19: 121-127.

Russo, R., E.W. Curtis, and R.P.E. Yanong. 2007. Preliminary investigations of hydrogen peroxide treatment of selected ornamental fishes and efficacy against external bacteria and parasites in green swordtails. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 19: 121-127.Russo, R., R.P.E. Yanong, and S.P.Terrell. 2007. Preliminary Morphometrics of Spleen and Kidney Macrophage Aggregates in Clinically Normal Blue Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) and Freshwater Angelfish (Pterophyllum scalare). Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 19: 60-67. pdf

Crosby, T. C., J. E. Hill, C. A. Watson, R. P. E. Yanong, and R. Strange. 2006. Effects of tricaine methansulfonate, Hypno, Aquacalm, quinaldine, and salt on plasma cortisol levels following acute stress in three spot gourami Trichogaster trichopterus. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 18: 58-63. PDF

Hartman, K.H., Yanong, R.P.E., Harms, C.A., and Lewbart, G.A. 2006. The Future of Training for Aquatic Animal Health Veterinarians Journal of Veterinary Medical Education 33(3): 389-393.

Russo, R., H. Mitchell, and R. P. E. Yanong. 2006. Characterization of Streptococcus iniae isolated form ornamental cyprinid fishes and development of challenge models. Aquaculture 256: 105-110. PDF

Russo, R., R.P.E. Yanong, and H. Mitchell. 2006. Dietary beta-glucans and nucleotides enhance resistance of Red-tail black shark (Epalzeorhynchos bicolor, fam. Cyprinidae) to Streptococcus iniae infection. Journal of the World Aquaculture Society. 37(3): 298-306. PDF

Yanong, R. P. E., J. E. Hill, C. J. Daniels, and C. A. Watson. 2006. Efficacy of 17-a-methyltestosterone for expression of male secondary sexual characteristics in the swordtail Xiphophorus hellerii. North American Journal of Aquaculture 68(3):224-229.   PDF

Mauel, M.J., D.L. Miller, E. Styer, D.B. Pouder, R.P.E. Yanong, A.E. Goodwin, T.E. Schwedler. 2005. Occurrence of Piscirickettsiosis-like syndrome in tilapia in the continental United States. Journal of Veterinary Diagnostic Investigation 17 (6): 601-604. PDF

Yanong, R.P.E., Curtis E.W., Simmons R., Bhattaram V.A., Gopalakrishnan M., Ketabi N., Nagaraj, N.V., Derendorf H. 2005. Pharmacokinetic Studies of Florfenicol in Koi (Cyprinus carpio) and Three-Spot Gourami (Trichogaster trichopterus) after Oral and Intramuscular treatment. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health 17: 129-137. PDF

Yanong, RPE. 2005. (In Spanish) Peces de acuario, Capitulo 4. (Chapter 4, Aquarium Fish). Atlas de Medicina, Terapeutica y Patologia de Animales Exoticos, Aguilar, R., Hernandez-Divers, SM, and Hernandez-Divers, SJ, Eds. Inter-Medica SAICI, Editorial, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Pp. 81-111.

Yanong, R.P.E., R. Russo, E. Curtis, R. Francis-Floyd, R. Klinger, I Berzins, K. Kelley, S.L. Poynton. 2004. Cryptobia iubilans infection in juvenile discus (Symphysodon aequifasciata): Four case reports, pathology, and treatment trials. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association. 224 (10): 1644-1650. PDF

Yanong R.P.E. 2003. Fungal diseases of fish. In Fungal Diseases, Michael P. Jones, ed. Veterinary Clinics of North America, Exotic Animal Practice 6.W.B. Saunders Co.,Philadelphia, PA.pp. 377-400.

Yanong R.P.E. 2003. Necropsy techniques for fish. In Practical Gross Necropsy of Exotic Animal Species. Seminars in Avian and Exotic Pet Medicine., Echols S., ed. W.B. Saunders Co., Philadelphia, PA.pp. 89-105. PDF

Yanong, R.P.E., R,. Francis-Floyd, E. Curtis, R. Klinger, M.F. Cichra ,and I.K. Berzins. 2002. Algal dermatitis in cichlids. J. Amer. Vet. Med Assoc. 220 (9): 1353-1358. PDF

Rothen, D.E., E.W. Curtis , and R.P.E. Yanong . 2002. Tolerance of yolk sac and free-swimming fry of the Zebra Danio Brachydanio rerio, Black Tetra Gymnocorymbus ternetzi, Buenos Aires Tetra Hemigrammus caudovittatus, and Blue Gourami Trichogaster trichopterus to therapeutic doses of formalin and sodium chloride.J. Aquat. Animal Health 14: 204-208. PDF

Yanong, R.P.E, E, .W Curtis, S.P.Terrell, and G. Case. 2003. Atypical presentation of mycobacteriosis in a collection of Frogfish Antennarius striatus. J. Zoo and Wildlife Med.. December. PDF

Yanong, R.P.E. 2001. (Three chapters): U.S. legislation; reproductive and genetic disorders; and nutritional disorders in British Small Animal Veterinary Association (BSAVA) Manual of Ornamental Fish, 2nd Edition. BSAVA Press.

Yanong, R.P.E., January 1999, Nutrition of Ornamental Fish, Veterinary Clinics of North America: Exotic Animal Practice, W.B. Saunders, Philadelphia, PA. 

Yanong, R.P.E., 1998. Diseases of Cichlids, Proceedings, North American Veterinary Conference, Orlando, 741-743.

Yanong, R.P.E., 1997. Commonly occurring diseases in freshwater tropical fish. Proceedings, North American Veterinary Conference, Orlando, FL  667-669.