Shewanella putrefaciens: an emerging pathogen for farmed yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco

Abstract

Bacteriosis has caused significant economic losses in farmed yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. Information is limited on Shewanella putrefaciens as a pathogen for yellow catfish. In this study, a virulent strain, temporarily named Y2, was isolated from diseased yellow catfish, identified phenotypically and molecularly as S. putrefaciens. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to examine isolate Y2 and compare it to other known isolates. In addition, isolate Y2 is apparently susceptible to aminoglycosides and tetracycline drugs for veterinary use in aquaculture as revealed when screened against a range of common antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of S. putrefaciens as an emerging pathogen for cultured yellow catfish.