Occurrence of Francisella piscicida in farmed and wild Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L., in Norway

Francisellosis, caused by the bacterium Francisella piscicida, has become one of the most serious diseases in Atlantic cod production in Norway. The major aim of this study was to determine the distribution of F. piscicida in farmed and wild fish in areas with cod farming along the Norwegian coast,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish diseases 2008-07, Vol.31 (7), p.525-534
Main Authors: Ottem, K.F, Nylund, A, Isaksen, T.E, Karlsbakk, E, Bergh, Ø
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animals
Animals, Wild - microbiology
Atlantic cod
Fisheries
Francisella
Francisella - genetics
Francisella - isolation & purification
Francisella piscicida
Gadus morhua
Gadus morhua - microbiology
Geography
Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - epidemiology
Gram-Negative Bacterial Infections - veterinary
Marine
Molecular Sequence Data
Norway
Norway - epidemiology
occurrence
PCR
Polymerase Chain Reaction
RNA, Ribosomal, 16S - genetics
Sensitivity and Specificity
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Summary:Francisellosis, caused by the bacterium Francisella piscicida, has become one of the most serious diseases in Atlantic cod production in Norway. The major aim of this study was to determine the distribution of F. piscicida in farmed and wild fish in areas with cod farming along the Norwegian coast, and its occurrence in cod from areas without cod farming. Two real-time PCR assays, targeting the 16S rRNA gene and the FopA gene of F. piscicida, were developed since sensitive and specific diagnostic tools are required for detecting asymptomatic carriers of the bacterium. A total of 422 wild cod from 13 sampling areas and 955 farmed cod from 10 areas along the coast of Norway were examined. Using the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays, F. piscicida was detected in wild populations of cod from all counties examined south of Sogn og Fjordane in southern Norway (overall prevalence 13%, n = 221). Wild cod north of Sogn og Fjordane were negative for the bacterium (n = 201). Farmed cod from most parts of Norway were F. piscicida positive. The apparent absence of the bacterium in wild populations of cod in the northern parts of Norway and its widespread occurrence in wild cod from southern parts of Norway is believed to relate to differences in seawater temperatures.
ISSN:0140-7775
1365-2761
DOI:10.1111/j.1365-2761.2008.00930.x