Bacillus mycoides: An Emerging Pathogen of Ulcerative Disease in Farmed Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides

Abstract

Ulcerative disease causes significant economic losses in largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides production. Yet information reported on Bacillus mycoides as a pathogen for largemouth bass is scarce. In this study, a virulent strain, temporarily named LYS1, was isolated from diseased M. salmoides suffering from ulcerative disease, identified phenotypically and molecularly as B. mycoides. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to examine isolate LYS1 and compare it to other known isolates. In addition, isolate LYS1 appears to be susceptible to aminoglycosides and quinolones drugs for veterinary use in aquaculture as seen when screened against a range of common antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of B. mycoides as a pathogen of ulcerative disease in farmed largemouth bass