Pathogenicity of the causative agent of viral nervous necrosis disease in striped jack, Pseudocaranx dentex (Bloch & Schneider)

Abstract. The pathogenicity of the agent causing viral nervous necrosis (VNN) of striped jack, Pseudocaranx dentex (Bloch & Schneider), was examined in striped jack and other selected marine fish species. Fish were exposed to purified striped jack nervous necrosis virus (SJNNV) (0·1–100 ng ml⁻¹) or homogenates of diseased striped jack larvae. Striped jack larvae (3·5 and 4·4 mm total length) were susceptible to the virus, but juveniles (78 mm) were not. The viral antigens were detected by indirect ELISA and the characteristic pathological changes, i.e. vacuolation in the retina and brain, were reproduced in the affected larvae. The infection was also established in healthy larvae by cohabitation with the diseased larvae. Larvae of red sea bream, Pagrus major Temminck & Schlegel, yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck & Schlegel, and goldstriped amberjack, Seriola lalandi Valenciennes, were not susceptible to SJNNV.     

Susceptibility of marine fish species to a megalocytivirus, turbot iridovirus, isolated from turbot, Psetta maximus (L.)

Turbot iridovirus (TBIV), a member of the genus Megalocytivirus in the family Iridoviridae, was isolated from diseased turbot, Psetta maximus (L.), in Korea in 2003. In this study, experimental infection of turbot, Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel), and rock bream, Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck & Schlegel), with TBIV was performed to evaluate the viral susceptibility of these fish species. After virus exposure, the mortalities of turbot reared at 22 and 25 degrees C were 60% and 100%, respectively, suggesting that TBIV is the causative agent of the mass mortality of turbot that occurred in Korea in 2003. Moreover, TBIV was detected in Japanese flounder and rock bream by polymerase chain reaction after experimental infection (26 days post-inoculation) despite no viral pathogenicity in these fish, suggesting that these two fish species are also susceptible to the virus. It is possible that horizontal transmission of TBIV occurs among these three fish species because turbot is routinely cultured with Japanese flounder and rock bream in Korea.     

Lancefield group C Streptococcus dysgalactiae infection responsible for fish mortalities in Japan

A Lancefield serological group C Streptococcus sp. was isolated from cultured amberjack, Seriola dumerili Risso, and yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck and Schlegel, immunized with Lactococcus garvieae commercial vaccines in Japan. The isolated bacteria were Gram-positive cocci, auto-aggregating in saline, morphologically long chains in growth medium, catalase negative and alpha-haemolytic on blood agar. An almost complete gene sequence of the 16S rDNA of two isolates was determined and compared with that of bacterial strains in the database. The isolates were identified as Streptococcus dysgalactiae based on the results of the 16S rDNA sequence, the bacteriological properties and the Lancefield serological grouping. Oligonucleotide primers specifically designed for the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region of S. dysgalactiae amplified a gene from all the fish isolates, as well as the type strains alpha-haemolytic S. dysgalactiae subsp. dysgalactiae ATCC430738 and beta-haemolytic S. dysgalactiae subsp. equisimilis ATCC35666, but not those of S. equi ATCC33398, Lactococcus garvieae ATCC43921 and L. garvieae KG9408. The severe necrotic lesions of the caudal peduncle seen in experimentally infected fish were similar to those seen in naturally infected fish.     

Annual dynamics of marine birnavirus (MABV) in cultured Japanese flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Paralichthys olivaceus</Emphasis> and sea water

ABSTRACT:   Seasonal changes in the infection state of marine birnavirus (MABV) in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus and in rearing sea water are described. Sea water and 10–11 healthy fish were sampled monthly from April 2002 to February 2003. The MABV genome was detected throughout the year in > 80% of the fish examined at each sampling. The virus was isolated from the liver, kidney, and spleen, but not from the brain. The detection rate in each organ increased from April to October, and then decreased. Detection of virus antigen by the indirect fluorescent antibody technique also showed that the virus was present from spring to autumn (June–September) in the liver, kidney, and spleen, but not the brain. Sequence analysis of the MABV genome at the VP2–NS region revealed two specific mutations compared to the standard yellowtail strain (Y-6). It is suggested that the infection state of MABV in Japanese flounder changes to a latent or persistent infection after autumn. MABV was detected in sea water between September and February, suggesting that virus particles in the environment are relatively higher during cool seasons.     

Comparative Sensitivity of Yellowtail Seriolu quinqueradiata and Goldstriped Amberjack S. aureovittata to Photobacterium damsela subsp. piscicida

The pathogenicity of Photobacterium damsela subsp. piscicida to yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata and goldstriped amberjack S. aureovittata was investigated. The 10-d cumulative mortality of yellowtail and goldstriped amberjack challenged by 1.2 × 10² CFU/fish of P. damsela piscicida was 70% and 10%. respectively. Serum bactericidal activity of goldstriped amberjack was higher than that of yellowtail. Although the phagocytic activity against P. damsela piscicida was not observed in kidney leukocytes of yellowtail and goldstriped amberjack, the production of superoxide anion in goldstriped amberjack kidney leukocytes against P. damsela piscicida was higher than that of yellowtail.     

Nocardiosis in tank-reared Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

Nocardiosis is an infection caused by aerobic Gram-positive, branching, filamentous rods of the genus Nocardia . The organism is resident in both soil and plants ( Austin & Austin 1993 ; Frerichs 1993 ), and is closely related to Mycobacterium spp. Nocardiosis caused by Nocardia asteroides and N. seriolae (previously N. kampachi ) has been reported in several finfish species, both freshwater and marine. The first reported incidence was recorded by Valdez & Conroy (1963) in neon tetras, Hyphessobrycon innesi (Myers), and subsequently in other fish species, some of commercial significance including rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) ( Snieszko, Bullock, Dunbar & Pettijohn 1964 ), brook trout, Salvelinus fontinalis (Mitchill), ( Campbell & MacKelvie 1968 ) and yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata (Temminck & Schlegel; Kubota, Kariya, Nakamura & Kira 1968 ). Despite two of these incidences occurring in salmonids, infection by Nocardia spp. in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., has not previously been reported.     

牙鲆抗鳗弧菌病家系筛选及其分析

2007年以从养殖牙鲆(Paralichthys olivaceus)中筛选出的抗病选育群体、从日本引进的日本群体以及从黄海捕捞的野生群体为基础,进行各种组合方式的交配,建立了63个牙鲆家系;2008年又建立了30个家系。对2007年培育的59个家系和2008年培育的30个家系进行了鳗弧菌(Vibrio anguillarum)感染实验,结果表明,不同家系间的抗病力存在极显著的差异(P0.01)。从2007年培育的59个家系中筛选出4个抗病家系,鳗弧菌感染后存活率达到50%以上;2008年的30个家系中5个家系抗病力较强,鳗弧菌感染后的存活率达到60%以上。2008年培育的30个家系其4月龄和6月龄的感染后存活率的相关系数为0.403(P0.05),表明不同生长时期的感染结果具有一致性。230d的体长和体质量与对鳗弧菌的抗病力存在显著的相关关系(P0.05),皮尔森相关系数分别为0.282和0.237。研究发现,日本群体与抗病选育群体的杂交后代抗病性能表现优异,可以通过日本群体与中国群体间的杂交进行遗传改良,达到培育出高产、抗病牙鲆新品种的目的。     

Species-specific polymerase chain reaction primers for Lactococcus garvieae

A dihydropteroate synthase gene from the chromosomal DNA of the fish-pathogenic bacteria Lactococcus garvieae (formerly Enterococcus seriolicida ) was cloned. This gene was then chosen as the target for polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The designated PCR primer set only amplified a 709-bp DNA fragment from L. garvieae strains, and did not amplify the same molecular size fragment from related species of L. lactis, Enterococcus faecalis, E. faecium or β-haemolytic Streptococcus sp. The kidney tissue of yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata (Temminck and Schlegel), a species which is naturally infected with L. garvieae , and also kidney tissue samples of healthy yellowtail were stored in TNES-Urea. The DNA was extracted from tissue samples by a modification of the standard method and by a boiled-extraction method. In particular, template DNA was utilized within 30 min following extraction and purification by the boiled-extraction method. These species-specific PCR primers could amplify a L. garvieae target sequence from yellowtail which were naturally infected with L. garvieae . The total procedure for the diagnosis of L. garvieae infections in fish, from the point of DNA extraction to observation in an agarose gel following electrophoresis, can be performed in less than 4 h.     

Susceptibility by amberjack (Seriola dumerili), yellowtail (S. quinqueradiata) and Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) to Neobenedenia girellae (Monogenea) infection and their acquired protection

This study investigated: 1) susceptibility differences to infection by Neobenedenia girellae (Capsalidae) between amberjack Seriola dumerili (Carangidae), yellowtail S. quinqueradiata and Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus (Paralichthyidae); 2) growth and egg production of N. girellae on each fish species; 3) acquired protection of each fish species against this parasite. The number of N. girellae on S. dumerili was significantly higher than on S. quinqueradiata and P. olivaceus when these fishes were exposed to oncomiracidia in the same aquarium. Neobenedenia girellae growth on S. dumerili was fastest and, thus the number of eggs laid by parasites on S. dumerili was greater than on the other two species. Seriola dumerili and P. olivaceus, which were previously infected with N. girellae and treated by freshwater bath, acquired partial protection against re-infection by N. girellae. The relative re-infection of three S. dumerili individuals out of eleven individuals was markedly low compared with the initial infection, and the relative initial infection and re-infection on two P. olivaceus out of eleven individuals was markedly low. The results of this study could be useful to control N. girellae infections when cultivating S. dumerili, S. quinqueradiata and P. olivaceus.     

Synthetic surfactants for protecting cultured fish against toxic phytoplankton

Polyoxyethylene alkyl esters, which are surface-active agents, were chemically synthesized from fatty acids (C₁₂-C₁₈) on reaction with different moles of polyethylene oxides, and were tested for effectiveness against the toxic raphidophytes Chattonella marina (Subrahmanyan) Hara & Chihara and C. antiqua (Hada) Ono. The synthetic surfactants destroyed cultured cells from these two species. Although the synthetic surfactants also exhibited ichthyotoxicity, this was lowered by increasing the molarity of ethylene oxide (EO) in alkyl ester molecules. Young yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata Temminck & Schlegel, survived exposure to C. marina (5000-5500 cells mLT^?1) or C. antiqua (3000-3500 cells mL^?1) cultures with the addition of 4-5 p.p.m. oleyl ester EO 14, but died within an hour without the addition of this surfactant.     

Structural characterization of carangid fish myoglobins

The primary structures of myoglobin (Mb) from the following five carangid species were determined: yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata, greater amberjack Seriola dumerili, yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi, Japanese horse mackerel Trachurus japonicus, and silver trevally Pseudocaranx dentex. The sequences were of varying composition both in the coding and in the noncoding regions, but all contained the open reading frame of 444 nucleotides encoding 147 amino acids. Amino acid sequence identities of carangid Mbs were in the range of 81-99%. The similarity of the heme pocket and associated heme-binding residues of carangid Mbs were evidence of the conservative nature of Mbs. Similar to the other teleost Mbs, carangid Mbs did not contain a D helix and had mostly conserved A and E helices as well as E-F and G-H inter-helical segments. Hydropathy profiles of carangid Mbs showed species-specific variations where silver trevally Mb exhibited generally higher hydrophobicity. Phylogenetic analysis based on the primary structures was in agreement with conventional morphological taxonomy, establishing close proximity of carangid Mbs with those of cichlid and scombroid, the other members of the Perciformes order.     

Genetic and phenotypic comparison of Nocardia seriolae isolated from fish in Japan

The phenotypic and genetic characterizations of 58 isolates of the fish pathogen Nocardia seriolae , from amberjack, Seriolae dumerili , yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata , Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus , and chub mackerel, Scomber japonicus, in Japan from 1970–2005, were examined to investigate the epidemiological relationship between isolates. The phenotypic and genetic characterizations were determined by α-glucosidase activity and biased sinusoidal field gel electrophoresis (BSFGE) analysis, respectively. There was no α-glucosidase activity in strains isolated from 2000–05 ( n  = 50) with a few exceptions ( n  = 3), while all strains isolated from 1970–90 ( n  = 8) were positive. In BSFGE analysis, digestions with restriction enzymes Xba  I and Ase  I produced 15 and 16 restriction patterns, respectively. All restriction patterns obtained from 50 strains isolated during 2000–05 were unrelated to those obtained from eight strains isolated during 1970–90, with the exception of two strains isolated during recent outbreaks. Based on the phenotypic and genetic characterizations, recent outbreaks of nocardiosis in Japan are suggested to be epidemiologically unrelated to earlier outbreaks in Japan. Although a low genetic relationship was observed in the restriction pattern between recent and earlier isolates, identity was confirmed between these groups of isolates because five representative strains showed 99.9% homology with N. seriolae ATCC43993^T in the 16S rRNA sequence.     

Establishment and characterization of two new cell lines derived from flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel)

Two new cell cultures from flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus (Temminck & Schlegel), flounder fin (FFN) cells from fin tissue and flounder spleen (FSP) cells from spleen tissue, were established and characterized. The cells multiplied well in Eagle's minimum essential medium, supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum, and have been subcultured more than 100 times, becoming continuous cell lines. Modal diploid chromosome number of FFN and FSP cells was 64 and 62, respectively. Polymerase chain reaction products were obtained from FFN and FSP cells with primer sets ofmicrosatellite markers of flounder. Optimal growth temperature was 20 degrees C and consisted of epithelioid cells. FFN and FSP cells showed cytopathic effects after inoculation of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus, marine birnavirus, chum salmon virus, infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus, spring viraemia of carp virus and hirame rhabdovirus. Thus these new cell lines may be useful for studying a wide range of fish viruses.     

Characterization of Lancefield group C Streptococcus dysgalactiae isolated from farmed fish

A Lancefield group C streptococcal (GCS) infection caused by Streptococcus dysgalactiae that is characterized by severe necrotic lesions of the caudal peduncle has been an increasing cause of mortality in farmed fish such as amberjack, Seriola dumerili, and yellowtail, Seriola quinqueradiata, in the southern part of Kyushu, Japan. In this study, enzymatic profiles of GCS strains from fish and mammals were investigated using the API ZYM system, and genotypic characterization of GCS strains was performed using biased sinusoidal field gel electrophoresis (BSFGE). The partial sequence of the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region of the GCS strain isolates from fish and mammals was also compared. The API ZYM test indicated that it is difficult to differentiate isolates of S. dysgalactiae from fish and animals based on enzymological variations. In the BSFGE analysis, the macrorestriction profiles, which were obtained using SmaI or ApaI as a restriction enzyme, revealed variations between the fish and animal isolates. The partial sequence of the 16S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer region of all the tested fish isolates differed from all mammalian isolates in one or two nucleotides. The possibility of a clonal expansion of S. dysgalactiae strains in farmed fish was also suggested by the BSFGE profiles of fish isolates.     

黄条魳(Seriola aureovittata)肌肉营养组成分析与评价

为进一步认识和评价黄条(Seriola aureovittata)的营养与食用价值,本研究测定了其肌肉中的水分、蛋白质、粗脂肪、灰分、氨基酸、脂肪酸和矿物质等成分,并对其养殖及野生个体的肌肉营养成分组成进行了比较分析.结果显示,黄条肌肉中蛋白质含量较高,必需氨基酸和鲜味氨基酸含量丰富,完全符合FAO/WHO推荐的理想蛋白质标准,是一种优质蛋白供给源.根据AAS和CS分值,黄条肌肉的第一限制氨基酸为蛋氨酸,第二限制氨基酸为缬氨酸.黄条肌肉的脂肪含量高于三文鱼(Salmo salar)、金枪鱼(Thunnus thynnus)、石斑鱼(Epinephelus sp.)等,且肌肉中含有丰富的不饱和脂肪酸,不饱和脂肪酸与饱和脂肪酸比值较高,特别是EPA+DHA的含量高,具有较优的口感鲜度和较高的营养价值.另外,黄条肌肉中含有多种机体新陈代谢所需的矿物质,经常食用可促进人体新陈代谢水平.比较发现,养殖黄条较野生黄条具有相对较高的脂肪含量和较低的水分含量,比能值(EP)分别为13.44 kJ/g和8.68 kJ/g,其他营养成分无显著差异,表明养殖与野生黄条肌肉营养价值相似.综上所述,黄条肌肉蛋白质和脂肪质量较高,口感鲜美,营养成分丰富,是一种值得大力开发养殖的海产经济鱼类.     

Effect of temperature on growth performance of greater amberjack (SERIOLA DUMERILI Risso 1810) Juveniles

In order to successfully diversify Mediterranean aquaculture, it is necessary to determine optimum culture conditions of potential candidate species such as greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili). Among culture conditions, rearing temperature is a key factor for achieving optimum growth and maintaining fish welfare. However, little is known about the optimum culture conditions of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili). Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of three different rearing temperatures (17, 22 and 26°C) during 120 days on growth performance, body morphometry, biochemical composition, gut transit and liver morphology of greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) juveniles. After 120 days of rearing, fish raised at 26°C showed higher (p < .05) body weight and specific growth rate than fish held at lower temperatures, as well as improved feed utilization, protein efficiency and nutrient retention percentages. Fish stomach emptying was faster (p < .05) in fish raised at 26°C than in fish held at 22°C and 17°C. Similar results were obtained for gut transit time, being gut emptying faster (p < .05) in fish reared at 26°C than in fish cultured at lower temperatures. Rearing temperature also induced changes in fish morphology which resulted in a higher (p < .05) caudal propulsion efficiency index for fish reared at 26°C. Based on these results, we conclude that greater amberjack fingerlings perform better at 26°C than at 22°C or 17°C.     

Viral nervous necrosis in hatchery-reared larvae and juveniles of Japanese parrotfish, Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck & Schlegel)

Abstract. Mass mortalities of hatchery-reared Japanese parrotfish larvae and juveniles, Oplegnathus fasciatus (Temminck & Schlegel), have occurred in Nagasaki Prefecture. Light and electron microscopic examinations showed that the only consistent histopathological feature was extensive nervous necrosis in the spinal cord, spinal ganglia and brain. Numerous non-enveloped virus particles, icosahedral in morphology and measuring about 34 nm in diameter, were found in the cytoplasm of affected neurones and glial cells. Such nervous necrosis is believed to be the major cause of the mass mortalities of hatchery-reared Japanese parrotfish larvae and juveniles.