DAO 73:43-47 (2006)  -  doi:10.3354/dao073043

ABSTRACT: To study the concentration effects of the bacterium Winogradskyella sp. on amoebic gill disease (AGD), Atlantic salmon Salmo salar were pre-exposed to 2 different doses (10⁸ or 10¹⁰ cells l^–1) of Winogradskyella sp. before being challenged with Neoparamoeba spp. Exposure of fish to Winogradskyella sp. caused a significant increase in the percentage of AGD-affected filaments compared with controls challenged with Neoparamoeba only; however, these percentages did not increase significantly with an increase in bacterial concentration. The results show that the presence of Winogradskyella sp. on salmonid gills can increase the severity of AGD.

KEY WORDS: Neoparamoeba · Winogradskyella · Amoebic gill disease · AGD · Gill bacteria · Bacteria dose · Salmon disease