Inter-Research > DAO > v95 > n1 > p57-64  
DAO
Diseases of Aquatic Organisms

via Mailchimp

DAO 95:57-64 (2011)  -  DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao02347

Mycobacterium salmoniphilum infection in burbot Lota lota

Mulualem Adam Zerihun1,*, Vidar Berg2, Jan L. Lyche2, Duncan J. Colquhoun1, Trygve T. Poppe2

1The Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Ullevaalsveien 68, 0106 Oslo, Norway
2The Norwegian School of Veterinary Science, Ullevaalsveien 72, 0037 Oslo, Norway

ABSTRACT: Burbot Lota lota sampled from lakes Mjøsa and Losna in southeastern Norway between 2005 and 2008 were found to be infected with Mycobacterium salmoniphilum at a culture-positive prevalence of 18.6 and 3.3%, respectively. The condition factor (CF) of mycobacteria-affected fish sampled from Mjøsa in 2008 was lower than the average CF of total sampled fish the same year. Externally visible pathological changes included skin ulceration, petechiae, exopthalmia and cataract. Internally, the infections were associated with capsulated, centrally necrotic granulomas, containing large numbers of acid-fast bacilli, found mainly in the mesenteries, spleen, heart and swim bladder. Mycobacterial isolates recovered on Middlebrook 7H10 agar were confirmed as M. salmoniphilum by phenotypical investigation and by partial sequencing of the 16S rRNA, rpoB and Hsp65 genes as well as the internal transcribed spacer (ITS1) locus. This study adds burbot to the list of fish species susceptible to piscine mycobacteriosis and describes M. salmoniphilum infection in a non-salmonid fish for the first time.


KEY WORDS: Mycobacteriosis · Mycobacterium salmoniphilum · Multi-gene sequencing · ­Phylogeny · Pathology · Burbot · Lota lota


Full text in pdf format
Cite this article as: Zerihun MA, Berg V, Lyche JL, Colquhoun DJ, Poppe TT (2011) Mycobacterium salmoniphilum infection in burbot Lota lota. Dis Aquat Org 95:57-64. https://doi.org/10.3354/dao02347

Export citation
Share:    Facebook - - linkedIn

 Previous article Next article