First evidence of fish nocardiosis in Mexico caused by Nocardia seriolae in farmed red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus, Linnaeus).

Between August and December 2013, the offshore cages of a commercial marine farm culturing red drum Sciaenops ocellatus in Campeche Bay Mexico were affected by an outbreak of an ulcerative granulomatous disease with up to 70% cumulative mortality. Thirty-one adults displaying open ulcers on the skin were submitted for diagnosis. At necropsy, multiple white-yellowish nodules (0.1-0.5 cm in diameter) were present in all internal organs, where the kidney and the spleen were the most severely affected. Histopathology evinced typical systemic granulomatous formations. Gram and Ziehl-Neelsen stains on tissue imprints, bacterial swabs and tissue sections revealed Gram-positive, acid-fast, branching beaded long rod filamentous bacteria. Tissue samples resulted positive for nocardiosis with a Nocardia genus-specific nested PCR. Definite identification at the species level and taxonomic positioning of the fastidious pathogen were achieved through a specific Nocardia seriolae PCR and by sequencing the gyrB gene of pure isolates. After administration of antibiotics during fry production, a posterior follow-up monitoring (from 2014 to 2017) detected mild but recurrent outbreaks of the bacteria with no seasonality pattern. To the extent of our knowledge, this is the first report of piscine nocardiosis in Mexico and the first time this disease is detected in red drum.

Pathogenesis of acute viral disease induced in fish by carp interstitial nephritis and gill necrosis virus.

A lethal disease of koi and common carp (species Cyprinus carpio) has afflicted many fish farms worldwide since 1998, causing severe financial losses. Morbidity and mortality are restricted to common carp and koi and appear in spring and autumn, when water temperatures are 18 to 28 degrees C. We have isolated the virus causing the disease from sick fish, propagated it in koi fin cell culture, and shown that virus from a single clone causes lethal disease in carp and koi upon infection. Intraperitoneal virus injection or bathing the fish in virus-containing water kills 85 to 100% of the fish within 7 to 21 days. This virus is similar to the previously reported koi herpesvirus; however, it has characteristics inconsistent with the herpesvirus family, and thus we have called it carp interstitial nephritis and gill necrosis virus. We examined the pathobiology of this disease in carp by using immunohistochemistry and PCR. We found large amounts of the virus in the kidneys of sick fish and smaller amounts in liver and brain. A rapid increase in the viral load in the kidneys was detected by using both immunofluorescence and semiquantitative PCR. Histological analyses of fish at various times after infection revealed signs of interstitial nephritis as early as 2 days postinfection, which increased in severity up to 10 days postinfection. There was severe gill disease evidenced by loss of villi with accompanying inflammation in the gill rakers. Minimal focal inflammation was noted in livers and brains. This report describes the etiology and pathology of a recently described viral agent in fish.