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Characterization of spaC ‐type Erysipelothrix sp. isolates causing systemic disease in ornamental fish
Author(s) -
Pomaranski E K,
Reichley S R,
Yag R,
Shelley J,
Pouder D B,
Wolf J C,
Kenelty K V,
Van Bonn B,
Oliaro F,
Byrne B,
Clothier K A,
Griffin M J,
Camus A C,
Soto E
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
journal of fish diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.819
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1365-2761
pISSN - 0140-7775
DOI - 10.1111/jfd.12673
Subject(s) - erysipelothrix rhusiopathiae , biology , ornamental plant , microbiology and biotechnology , veterinary medicine , aquaculture , fish farming , cellulitis , fish <actinopterygii> , botany , fishery , immunology , medicine
Since 2012, low‐to‐moderate mortality associated with an Erysipelothrix sp. bacterium has been reported in ornamental fish. Histological findings have included facial cellulitis, necrotizing dermatitis and myositis, and disseminated coelomitis with abundant intralesional Gram‐positive bacterial colonies. Sixteen Erysipelothrix sp. isolates identified phenotypically as E. rhusiopathiae were recovered from diseased cyprinid and characid fish. Similar clinical and histological changes were also observed in zebrafish, Danio rerio , challenged by intracoelomic injection. The Erysipelothrix sp. isolates from ornamental fish were compared phenotypically and genetically to E. rhusiopathiae and E. tonsillarum isolates recovered from aquatic and terrestrial animals from multiple facilities. Results demonstrated that isolates from diseased fish were largely clonal and divergent from E. rhusiopathiae and E. tonsillarum isolates from normal fish skin, marine mammals and terrestrial animals. All ornamental fish isolates were PCR positive for spaC , with marked genetic divergence (<92% similarity at gyrB , <60% similarity by rep‐ PCR ) between the ornamental fish isolates and other Erysipelothrix spp. isolates. This study supports previous work citing the genetic variability of Erysipelothrix spp. spa types and suggests isolates from diseased ornamental fish may represent a genetically distinct species.