Technique for Enumeration of Renibacterium salmoninarum in Fish Kidney Tissues

Abstract

Effects of prefiltration and enzyme treatment on the filtrability of kidney tissue of chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha were examined. The clarification of kidney suspensions with a 5-μm prefilter did not affect microbial recovery from the samples examined. Samples of kidney suspensions inoculated with Renibacterium salmoninarum (10²-10⁵ cells/g) were prefiltered and then tested for their filtrability through a 0.2-μm membrane filter. Less than 50% of the samples could be filtered without enzyme treatment, but all samples were rendered filtrable by enzyme treatment. Inoculum levels of R. salmoninarum as low as 100 cells/g could be detected and quantified. The application of these procedures greatly enhances membrane filtration for the certification of R. salmoninarum-free fish.