• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.166-177
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• 2023

The giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) suffers economic losses in aquaculture facilities due to problems such as poor body color and carapace weakness. While this species is farmed on an animal-based diet, in the wild it consumes a detritus diet with a high proportion of plant matter. The plant matter they consume in the wild is not only a source of basic nutrients, but also carotenoids, which are responsible for body color. Korean goldenbell (Forsythia koreana) is a flowering tree widely distributed in Korea, and its leaves contain carotenoids comparable to yellow carrots. In this study, we investigated the effects of feeding Forsythia leaves to M. rosenbergii on their body color and health. The experimental diets were 100% commercial feed (control), CON, 80% commercial feed plus 20% Forsythia leaf powder, FP, and 80% commercial feed plus 20% unprocessed Forsythia leaves, FL, and each diet was fed to juvenile prawn with an average weight of 1.1 ± 0.2 g for 10 weeks. In terms of body color, the CON prawn were consistently clear ivory in color, while the FP and FL prawn changed from blue to dark brown as the days of rearing progressed. Survival and growth were not significantly different between CON and FP or FL. Histological comparison of the hepatopancreas revealed that the vacuole size of B cells, the constituent cells of the hepatopancreatic tubule, was significantly larger in FP and FL compared to CON. The vacuoles of B cells are responsible for the absorption and digestion of nutrients, suggesting that the supply of Forsythia leaves may have had a positive effect on the health of the M. rosenbergii. The above results show that the use of Forsythia leaves in the aquaculture of M. rosenbergii can be expected to improve body color and health without inhibiting growth.

• Journal of fish pathology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.201-210
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• 2009

Although Anisakis type larvae have been shown to cause various injuries directly or indirectly in humans and animals, the epidemiological studies on these larval infestations are in insufficient state. The status of larval infestation was investigated in 989 fishes of 44 species, which are inhabiting around the east-westernsouth costal area of Korea during the period from March 2007 to February 2008. The Anisakis type larvae were infected approximately 38% (377 fishes) in 989 fishes. Most of the worms were identified as Anisakis simplex type I by morphological finding and 18S ribosomal DNA sequence analysis. In the seasonal variations of infestation, most of the fishes showed higher infestation rate during spring and summer, while the fishes such as herring Clupea pallasii did during winter. From the histopathological studies of infested fishes, it has been observed that Anisakis type larvae are harbouring mainly around the intestinal viscera such as liver, pancreas, stomach, pylolic cecum, and cloaca.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.555-562
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• 2012

PCR was performed to analyze the ${\beta}$-lactamase genes carried by ampicillin-resistant Vibrio spp. strains isolated from marine environments in Korea between 2006 and 2009. All 36 strains tested showed negative results in PCR with the primers designed from the nucleotide sequences of various known ${\beta}$-lactamase genes. This prompted us to screen new ${\beta}$-lactamase genes. A novel ${\beta}$-lactamase gene was cloned from Vibrio alginolyticus KV3 isolated from the aquaculture water of Geoje Island of Korea. The determined nucleotide sequence (VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase) revealed an open reading frame (ORF) of 852 bp, encoding a protein of 283 amino acids (aa), which displayed low homology to any other ${\beta}$-lactamase genes reported in public databases. The deduced 283 aa sequence of VAK-3, consisting of a 19 aa signal peptide and a 264 aa mature protein, contained highly conserved peptide segments specific to class A ${\beta}$-lactamases including the specific amino acid residues STFK (62-65), SDN (122-124), E (158), and RTG (226-228). Results from PCR performed with primers specific to the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene identified 3 of the 36 isolated strains as V. alginolyticus, Vibrio cholerae, and Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae, indicating the utilization of various ${\beta}$-lactamase genes including unidentified ones in ampicillin-resistant Vibrio spp. strains from the marine environment. In a mating experiment, none of the isolates transfered the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene to the Escherichia coli recipient. This lack of mobility, and the presence of a chromosomal acyl-CoA flanking sequence upstream of the VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase gene, led to the assumption that the location of this new ${\beta}$-lactamase gene was in the chromosome, rather than the mobile plasmid. Antibiotic susceptibility of VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase was indicated by elevated levels of resistance to penicillins, but not to cephalosporins in the wild type and E. coli harboring recombinant plasmid pKV-3, compared with those of the host strain alone. Phylogenetic analysis showed that VAK-3 ${\beta}$-lactamase is a new and separate member of class A ${\beta}$-lactamases.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.6.1-6.10
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• 2018

The intention of this study was to identify the bacterial pathogens infecting Oreochromis niloticus (Nile tilapia) and Clarias gariepinus (African catfish), and to establish the antibiotic susceptibility of fish bacteria in Uganda. A total of 288 fish samples from 40 fish farms (ponds, cages, and tanks) and 8 wild water sites were aseptically collected and bacteria isolated from the head kidney, liver, brain and spleen. The isolates were identified by their morphological characteristics, conventional biochemical tests and Analytical Profile Index test kits. Antibiotic susceptibility of selected bacteria was determined by the Kirby-Bauer disc diffusion method. The following well-known fish pathogens were identified at a farm prevalence of; Aeromonas hydrophila (43.8%), Aeromonas sobria (20.8%), Edwardsiella tarda (8.3%), Flavobacterium spp. (4.2%) and Streptococcus spp. (6.3%). Other bacteria with varying significance as fish pathogens were also identified including Plesiomonas shigelloides (25.0%), Chryseobacterium indoligenes (12.5%), Pseudomonas fluorescens (10.4%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (4.2%), Pseudomonas stutzeri (2.1%), Vibrio cholerae (10.4%), Proteus spp. (6.3%), Citrobacter spp. (4.2%), Klebsiella spp. (4.2%) Serratia marcescens (4.2%), Burkholderia cepacia (2.1%), Comamonas testosteroni (8.3%) and Ralstonia picketti (2.1%). Aeromonas spp., Edwardsiella tarda and Streptococcus spp. were commonly isolated from diseased fish. Aeromonas spp. (n = 82) and Plesiomonas shigelloides (n = 73) were evaluated for antibiotic susceptibility. All isolates tested were susceptible to at-least ten (10) of the fourteen antibiotics evaluated. High levels of resistance were however expressed by all isolates to penicillin, oxacillin and ampicillin. This observed resistance is most probably intrinsic to those bacteria, suggesting minimal levels of acquired antibiotic resistance in fish bacteria from the study area. To our knowledge, this is the first study to establish the occurrence of several bacteria species infecting fish; and to determine antibiotic susceptibility of fish bacteria in Uganda. The current study provides baseline information for future reference and fish disease management in the country.