• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.14.1-14.8
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• 2019

Olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) is the major species developed for aquaculture in South Korea. Over the long history of olive flounder aquaculture, complex and diverse diseases have been a major problem, negatively impacting industrial production. Vibriosis is a prolific disease which continuously damages olive flounder aquaculture. A bacterial disease survey was performed from January to June 2017 on 20 olive flounder farms on Jeju Island. A total of 1710 fish were sampled, and bacteria from the external and internal organs of 560 fish were collected. Bacterial strains were identified using 16 s rRNA sequencing. Twenty-seven species and 184 strains of Vibrio were isolated during this survey, and phylogenetic analysis was performed. Bacterial isolates were investigated for the distribution of pathogenic and non-pathogenic species, as well as bacterial presence in tested organs was characterized. V. gigantis and V. scophthalmi were the dominant non-pathogenic and pathogenic strains isolated during this survey, respectively. This study provides data on specific Vibrio spp. isolated from cultured olive flounder in an effort to provide direction for future research and inform aquaculture management practices.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.91-95
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• 2020

Fish bacterial diseases have spread and caused serious problem for cultured marine fish in Korea. The important bacterial disease affecting mariculture such as olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) are caused by Edwardsiella tarda, Vibrio scophthalmi and Streptococcus parauberis. For the bacterial disease protection in aquaculture industry, the water treatment is needed in aquaculture system. During the last decades atmospheric pressure non-thermal plasma in contact with liquids have received a lot of attention of environmental and medical application. In this study, we determined the disinfectant effect in seawater and three major fish bacterial disease pathogens by using low frequency plasma treatment. Three fish bacteria (E. tarda, V. schophthalmi, S. parauberis) were not detected within 16 min, 150 min and 270 min of 20 L, 500 L and 1 ton seawater post low frequency plasma treatment, respectively. Three major fish bacterial disease pathogens were not detected within 2 min after the low frequency plasma treatment, suggesting that the low frequency plasma possess disinfectant effectiveness.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.62-68
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• 2017

The Alaska pollock (Gadus chalcogrammus) belongs to the family Gadidae; it is a cold water fish, and has been developed as a novel aquaculture species in Korea. In this study, we describe ongoing surveillance for aquatic animal pathogens based on growth stages. We investigated bacterial flora in rearing water, and monitored pathogens; we also analyzed histopathological traits of abnormal fish. In rearing water, the total bacterial counts were $2.1{\times}10^3cfu/mL$ and Vibrio spp. (52%) were predominant in the larvae stage. In the juvenile and adult stages, the total bacterial counts were $3.4{\times}10^3$ and $3.2{\times}10^2cfu/mL$, respectively (with Pseudomonas sp. as the predominant species; 90% and 52%). This result revealed that the bacterial flora in rearing water changed depending on the feeding types. No virulent-bacteria or problematic viruses (VHSV, viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus; NNV, nervous necrosis virus; MBV, marine birnavirus) were detected from outwardly healthy fish using either culture or PCR assay. Some juveniles (less than 5%) had gas bubbles on the gill lamellae, degeneration of the corneal epithelium, and choroid gland degeneration, suggesting that these symptoms were caused by external injury and secondary infection by opportunistic bacteria. Disease management is important to cope with disease emergence in the novel aquaculture species Alaska pollock.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.1443-1457
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• 2020

The emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance in pathogenic bacteria of fish and shellfish have caused serious concerns in the aquaculture industry, owing to the potential health risks to humans and animals. Among these bacteria, Aeromonas salmonicida, which is one of the most important primary pathogens in salmonids, is responsible for significant economic losses in the global aquaculture industry, especially in salmonid farming because of its severe infectivity and acquisition of antimicrobial resistance. Therefore, interest in the use of alternative approaches to prevent and control A. salmonicida infections has increased in recent years, and several applications of bacteriophages (phages) have provided promising results. For several decades, A. salmonicida and phages infecting this fish pathogen have been thoroughly investigated in various research areas including aquaculture. The general overview of phage usage to control bacterial diseases in aquaculture, including the general advantages of this strategy, has been clearly described in previous reviews. Therefore, this review specifically focuses on providing insights into the phages infecting A. salmonicida, from basic research to biotechnological application in aquaculture, as well as recent advances in the study of A. salmonicida.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.28.1-28.7
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• 2016

Background: Significant increases in the bacterial resistance to various antibiotics have been found in fish farms. Non-antibiotic therapies for infectious diseases in aquaculture are needed. In recent years, light-emitting diode technology has been applied to the inactivation of pathogens, especially those affecting humans. The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of blue light (wavelengths 405 and 465 nm) on seven major bacterial pathogens that affect fish and shellfish important in aquaculture. Results: We successfully demonstrate inactivation activity of a 405/465-nm LED on selected bacterial pathogens. Although some bacteria were not fully inactivated by the 465-nm light, the 405-nm light had a bactericidal effect against all seven pathogens, indicating that blue light can be effective without the addition of a photosensitizer. Photobacterium damselae, Vibrio anguillarum, and Edwardsiella tarda were the most susceptible to the 405-nm light (36.1, 41.2, and $68.4J\;cm^{-2}$, respectively, produced one log reduction in the bacterial populations), whereas Streptococcus parauberis was the least susceptible ($153.8J\;cm^{-2}$ per one log reduction). In general, optical density (OD) values indicated that higher bacterial densities were associated with lower inactivating efficacy, with the exception of P. damselae and Vibrio harveyi. In conclusion, growth of the bacterial fish and shellfish pathogens evaluated in this study was inactivated by exposure to either the 405- or 465-nm light. In addition, inactivation was dependent on exposure time. Conclusions: This study presents that blue LED has potentially alternative therapy for treating fish and shellfish bacterial pathogens. It has great advantages in aspect of eco-friendly treating methods differed from antimicrobial methods.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.495-505
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• 2018

Several bacterial etiological agents of streptococcal disease have been associated with fish mortality and serious global economic loss. Bacterial identification based on biochemical, molecular, and phenotypic methods has been routinely used, along with assessment of morphological analyses. Among these, the molecular method of 16S rRNA sequencing is reliable, but presently, advanced genomics are preferred over other traditional identification methodologies. This review highlights the geographical variation in strains, their relatedness, as well as the complexity of diagnosis, pathogenesis, and various control methods of streptococcal infections. Several limitations, from diagnosis to control, have been reported, which make prevention and containment of streptococcal disease difficult. In this review, we discuss the challenges in diagnosis, pathogenesis, and control methods and suggest appropriate molecular (comparative genomics), cellular, and environmental solutions from among the best available possibilities.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2015

In this study, we conducted to the development of a rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test method using WST-1 which is known to water-soluble tetrazolium salt, in order to rapidly response against bacterial diseases in fish. Eight of antibiotics which are permissioned for marine organism from government were used to rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing using the WST-1. As a result, a similar tendency was verified compare to conventional antibiotic susceptibility test results. Generally, the antibiotic susceptibility test method required about 3 days (72 hours) for determine the effective antibiotics, however, we have confirmed that the our method using WST-1 was required at least 36 hours in this study. Consequentially, our method will contribute to development of rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing for bacterial diseases in fish.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.666-674
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• 2012

We examined the cause of a disease outbreak in adult olive flounder Paralichthys olivaceus, which occurred at a Korean aquaculture farm in Korea in 2011. The principal signs included an expanded abdomen and congested liver, with persistent mortality (a little over two months). At the beginning of the outbreak, farm administrators misjudged the disease as bacterial in origin, because of the aforementioned signs, persistent mortality, and the detection of bacterial species, including Vibrio spp. and Streptococcus spp. Moreover, the detection of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) by reverse trasnscription-PCR analysis was complicated by use of the VHS-VN primer set, which has been in general use recently, because it produced weak bands in some samples. Therefore, we recommend the use of at least two different primer sets in the diagnosis of VHSV. Our histopathological findings indicate that necrotizing myocarditis could be considered a pathogenic sign of VHSV infection.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.148-160
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• 2011

Thirty-one gross abnormalities that have been observed in tilapia are described: 10 fin, five eye, five jaw, four body shape, three head, two yolk sac, one operculum, and conjoined twins. Twenty-one have been described in published papers; the others were obtained from a survey. Breeding experiments revealed that three were heritable, while six were not heritable. Five could be caused by a bacterial infection, and one could be produced by a fungus. Four deformities were in offspring of males that had been injected with methyl methane sulphonate. Three were produced when sperm was treated with methyl methane sulphonate. Six were observed during sex reversal studies, and one was found following heat shock of fertilized eggs. Three were observed in polluted river water. The cause of other deformities is not known.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.203-209
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• 2015

Low-value fish is the most commonly used feed in Asian fish farms despite the fact that its application is controversial in regard to the sustainability and biosecurity of aquaculture. In this study, the causal agent of a disease outbreak at a Korean rockfish Sebastes schlegeli farm was investigated to determine whether the low-value fish used at the farm was the source. Infected Korean rockfish and Pacific sand eel used as feed were sampled from the farm, and bacterial cultures recovered from the internal organs of all sampled rockfish were isolated as pure cultures and later identified as Vibrio harveyi. The causal agent of the disease was also isolated from the kidneys of some of the sampled Pacific sand eels. This study provides additional evidence that the low-value fish used as feed at fish farms can be a key source of infectious diseases.