Providencia rettgeri: an Emerging Pathogen for Freshwater Cultured Whiteleg Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei)

Abstract

Bacteriosis is a major economic problem affecting the farming industry of whiteleg shrimp Penaeus vannamei. Little information is available on Providencia rettgeri as a possible pathogen for P. vannamei. In this study, a virulent strain, here named S6, was isolated from diseased P. vannamei, identified phenotypically, and molecularly, as P. rettgeri. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to examine the taxonomic position and relatedness of isolate S6 to other P. rettgeri isolates. When screened against a range of common veterinary antibiotics, isolate S6 exhibited resistance to aminoglycosides and sulfonamides antibiotics in aquaculture. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of P. rettgeri as a causal agent of bacteriosis in freshwater farmed P. vannamei.