Diseases of aquatic organisms最新文献

Marteilia pararefringens is a protistan parasite that mainly infects the digestive gland of mussels Mytilus spp. Despite observations of marteiliosis in mussels since the 1970s, the reported host species has generally not been verified by molecular methods. The 3 closely related mussels Mytilus edulis, M. galloprovincialis, and M. trossulus cannot be distinguished morphologically and hybridise in regions where they overlap. Norway is the only country where both M. pararefringens and M. trossulus are known to occur. Here, we report the first detection of marteiliosis, caused by M. pararefringens, in M. trossulus and an M. edulis-M. trossulus hybrid in a heliothermic oyster pond-a poll-in Hardangerfjorden, Norway. The observed infections were severe, containing early, intermediate, and advanced (sporulating) stages present in the digestive epithelium. There was no host reaction associated with the infections. This finding confirms that all known Mytilus species present in Europe are susceptible to M. pararefringens.

Yersiniosis, caused by Yersinia ruckeri, has become the most common disease in farmed rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss in Peru, affecting Puno and Junín Regions, important aquaculture areas in the country. Florfenicol (FLO) and oxytetracycline (OXY) are the antimicrobials most frequently used to mitigate losses attributed to this pathogen. This study presents an analysis of the susceptibility patterns of 60 Y. ruckeri isolates (30 isolates each from Puno and Junín), including the type strain CECT 4319T and the strains CECT 955 and CECT 956, against FLO and OXY. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined following the guideline for standard broth dilution method published by the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute. MIC results ranged from 4.0 to 8.0 µg ml-1 for FLO and 0.5 to 4.0 µg ml-1 for OXY. Normalized resistance interpretation (NRI) analysis identified epidemiological cut-off values of ≤16.0 µg ml-1 for FLO and ≤4.0 µg ml-1 for OXY. All Peruvian isolates, including the collection strains, were categorized as wild-type for both antimicrobials. Even though the number of Y. ruckeri isolates with MIC values of 8 µg ml-1 for FLO is more than double in Puno than in Junín (15 vs. 7 isolates), the NRI analysis showed the same epidemiological cutoff of 16 µg ml-1; while for OXY, it was 4.0 µg ml-1 for Puno and 2.0 µg ml-1 for Junín. This study establishes the basis for monitoring susceptibility to FLO and OXY in new Y. ruckeri isolates in Peruvian rainbow trout farming.

Coral reefs are lately suffering a fast decline in biodiversity due to the coupled effect of climate change and disease outbreaks, which in recent decades have been reported with higher frequency and shorter intervals. Limited studies have been conducted on coral diseases in the Maldives resulting in the impossibility of assessing the temporal trend in their dynamics. In this context, we evaluated the change in the distribution, prevalence, and host range of 4 diseases, namely black band disease (BBD), brown band disease (BrB), skeletal eroding band (SEB) and white syndrome (WS), in the reef system around Thudufushi Island after an interval of 12 yr since the last assessment. In this period, the overall disease prevalence increased, except for BrB, with SEB showing the most severe increase in 2022 in comparison to 2010. The overall average prevalence of coral diseases is approximately 2%, indicating an increase of about 0.7% since 2010. Diseased coral colonies were found in all the investigated sites, with the east site being the most affected and SEB emerging as the most prevalent disease across all the investigated sites. The affected colonies belong to 13 genera, with Psammocora genus showing the highest overall mean disease prevalence. This study depicted a basic temporal trend in disease prevalence that confirms an increase in coral diseases in the region and calls for a dedicated national monitoring protocol to better understand and predict future coral disease dynamics at regional scales.

Fusarium is a huge genus of filamentous fungi that has the potential to cause emerging diseases. Members of this genus can cause infections in plants, animals and humans. Here, we report the isolation of F. oxysporum and F. equiseti from 2 important fish species, Oncorhynchus mykiss (rainbow trout) and Tor putitora (golden mahseer), respectively. F. oxysporum has emerged as a significant fungal pathogen causing infection in many fish. However, F. equiseti has been isolated mainly from plants. As far as the available literatures are concerned, this is the first report on the isolation of F. oxysporum and F. equiseti from these hosts. The isolates were identified based on growth morphology and microscopic observation. F. oxysporum produced violet pigmentation on potato dextrose agar, while F. equiseti had yellow colouration. F. oxysporum produced 1- to 2-celled microconidia along with straight or curved macroconidia having 3 to 4 septa. F. equiseti produced abundant macroconidia with 4 or more septa. Species were further confirmed based on the nucleotide sequences of the internal transcribed spacer region. In a molecular phylogeny analysis, F. oxysporum and F. equiseti formed 2 different clades. In an antifungal sensitivity assay, F. oxysporum was found to be susceptible to clotrimazole with a minimum inhibitory concentration of 1.0 µg ml-1, whereas F. equiseti was susceptible to clotrimazole, ketoconazole and fluconazole. Overall, the main findings of this study are the infection of new hosts by Fusarium species and the limited activity of many antifungal drugs against these pathogens.

Shewanella putrefaciens has been recognized as an emerging important pathogen in aquaculture. However, scarce information is available on the characterization and microbial control of S. putrefaciens as a causal agent of hepatopancreas necrosis disease in Chinese mitten crab Eriocheir sinensis. In this study, a multi-resistant S. putrefaciens isolate (DZ-A) was identified as a causal pathogen of hepatopancreas necrosis disease in Chinese mitten crabs. It showed a lethal dose (LD50) of 2.20 × 105 CFU ml-1 in Chinese mitten crabs, and multiple resistance to aminoglycoside, chloramphenicol, macrolide, penicillin, peptide, and tetracycline antimicrobials. In addition, Bdellovibrio powder exhibited a significant antibacterial effect against the pathogenic S. putrefaciens, and conferred significant protection to challenged Chinese mitten crabs with relative percentage survivals of 80.00% to 93.33% via significant improvement in their immune response and antioxidant capability. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the phenotypic characterization and biological control of pathogenic S. putrefaciens in Chinese mitten crabs.

The assessment of free-ranging cetacean health through the study of skin conditions using photographs has gained prominence in recent years. However, little attention has been given to the relationships between cetacean skin conditions, species, and body condition. To explore this relationship among baleen whale species along the northwestern coast of Spain, we employed a non-invasive method involving photograph analysis. In this study, we examined skin conditions (including injuries, epizoites and ectoparasites, pigmentation disorders, skin lesions, and anatomical malformations) and body condition (overall physical contours and form, as an indicator of nutritional status and health) in 3 species of whales (blue, fin, and minke whales). This methodology facilitated the identification of 29 subcategories of distinct skin conditions and an assessment of body condition over a 5 yr period (2017 to 2021). In our study, we present evidence linking hypopigmentation, protruding pieces of tissue, and tattoo-like lesions to 'Poor' body condition in the 3 baleen whale species. Fin whales exhibited a higher susceptibility to mottling (prevalence = 17.7%), while blue whales were more prone to starbursts (prevalence = 90.5%). Additionally, we found a significant relationship between skin condition diversity and individual body condition. Our findings contribute valuable information to the broader understanding of the health status of baleen whales. Further investigations are necessary to delve into the etiology of the documented skin conditions and their potential implications for individual survival. This study serves as a foundation for ongoing research aimed at advancing our comprehension of these findings.

Piscine francisellosis is one of the most important bacterial diseases affecting various fish species worldwide. Francisella orientalis, F. noatunensis, and F. salimarina (F. marina) have been reported as etiological agents of disease in fish. A Francisella sp. was isolated from several diseased red drum Sciaenops ocellatus experiencing morbidity in Florida, USA, in 2008. In this study, molecular and phenotypic characterization of the recovered isolate was conducted. Phenotypically, the isolate showed a biochemical reaction profile distinct from that of F. orientalis and F. salimarina. Although the 16S rRNA sequence of this isolate shared 99.61% identity to the type strain of F. philomiragia O#319LT, whole genome analysis (average nucleotide identity <95%; digital DNA-DNA hybridization <70%) and a multilocus sequence analysis of 8 concatenated housekeeping genes in comparison with other Francisella spp. indicated that this isolate was a novel Francisella species, more closely related to F. orientalis. Immersion, intracoelomic injection, and co-habitation challenges using a Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus fingerling model of infection were done to investigate virulence in a piscine model. Variably pigmented granulomas and pigmented macrophage aggregates were observed in the kidneys and spleens of the challenged fish, but no mortality was recorded during the 15 d challenge period, suggesting that this novel Francisella sp. might be an opportunistic pathogen of fish. Based on the phenotypic and genotypic differences from other Francisella spp. observed in this study, we propose the name Francisella sciaenopsi sp. nov. for this novel isolate.

Ichthyophonosis is a disease caused by the mesomycetozoean parasite Ichthyophonus hoferi that affects a variety of fish species, including rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum. This disease is characterized by granulomatous lesions and necrosis in various organs, which can have severe impacts on the health and welfare of the fish. Ichthyophonosis has been found in several parts of the world, including Europe, and is a significant concern in the aquaculture industry and for populations of wild marine fishes. The rainbow trout is a widely cultured salmonid species in many countries, including Serbia. Although the presence of I. hoferi in rainbow trout has been reported in several countries, it has never been documented in Serbia. In this article, we report the first case of ichthyophonosis in rainbow trout in Serbia.