Vibrio spp. isolated from salmonids with shallow skin lesions and reared at low temperature

• Published in: Journal of fish diseases Vol. 21; no. 1; pp. 19 - 28
• Main Authors: Benediktsdottir, E, Helgason, S, Sigurjonsdottir, H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Science, Ltd 01.01.1998
• Subjects: Marine; Oncorhynchus mykiss; Salmo; Vibrio logei; Vibrio marinus; Iceland
• ISSN: 0140-7775; 1365-2761
• DOI: 10.1046/j.1365-2761.1998.00065.x

In Iceland the rearing temperature of salmonid fish, mostly Atlantic salmon, is generally below 10°C. Infections most often characterized by shallow skin lesions that may cause considerable mortality have been endemic in the country since rearing in salt water started. A variety of Vibrio spp. has been isolated from the diseased fish. In the present study, a total of 58 strains isolated from salmonid fish and 21 reference strains were subjected to a numerical taxonomy study. The results show that two phena are most common in the diseased fish; one of them includes V. marinus, whereas the other does not include a reference strain but has similarities to V. logei. Challenge tests showed that a representative strain of the phenon that included V. marinus is pathogenic for Atlantic salmon with an LD50 lower than 3.5 × 103.