Document Type
Report
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Publication Date
10-2002
Abstract
During 1997-99, the Aquatic Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (AADDL) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) investigated and documented an epizootic of disease in wild striped bass, Morone saxatilis, from many portions of the lower Chesapeake Bay. Some of these fish exhibited an ulcerative dermatitis initially suspected of being caused by Pfiesteria piscicida, a dinoflagellate. Skin ulcers ranged from pinpoint, pigmented spots to large, shallow hemorrhagic (bloody) wounds. This disease was determined to be due not to Pfiesteria, but to a group of bacteria called Mycobacterium spp. This disease syndrome is referred to as mycobacteriosis. Further investigations by VIMS researchers and collaborators at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) identified a new species, M. shottsii, as the most frequently isolated mycobacteria from striped bass during this epizootic (Rhodes et al., 2001c; Rhodes et al., 2002). During 2001-2002, the Virginia Saltwater Recreational Fishing Development Board funded a proposal to compare rates of detection of this disease by three methods, histology, quantitative bacteriology, and the molecular technique of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and nested PCR. This report summarizes the results of our yearlong investigation of this disease.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.25773/kz8r-sw19
Keywords
Striped bass -- Diseases -- Chesapeake Bay (Md. and Va.), Mycobacteria
Recommended Citation
Kaattari, I., Rhodes, M., & Kator, H. (2002) Mycobacteriosis in Striped Bass of the Chesapeake Bay: Expansion of Studies Emphasizing Cultural and Rapid Molecular Diagnostic Methods to Evaluate Disease Prevalence: A Final Report. Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary. https://doi.org/10.25773/kz8r-sw19
