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Vibriosis outbreaks in farmed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) caused by Vibrio mimicus and V. cholerae

Aquaculture International volume 30, pages 2661–2677 (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Vibriosis is a common disease in aquaculture. Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) farmed within some commercial fish farms in Kafr El-Sheikh governorate Egypt showed signs of disease and exhibited heavy mortality. In order to get to the root of the problem, ninety moribund tilapia were sampled from the affected fish farms and subjected to bacteriological and molecular examinations. Biochemical characterization of bacterial isolates was performed via the API 20E analytical system. All examined fish samples were infected with Vibrio species. Eighteen Vibrio isolates, V. mimicus (n = 12), and V. cholerae (n = 6) were taken randomly for molecular characterization and further analysis. Isolates were genotyped via sequencing and alignment of the recA gene. Isolates possessed numerous virulence traits, including the production of hemolysins, proteases, lipases, and nucleases. The prevalence of ompU, vmh, vpsR, and flrA virulence genes in Vibrio strains was 61.1%, 66.6%, 27.7%, and 33.3 %, respectively. The blaTEM (55.5%), apHAI (50%), and qnrVC (27.7%) antibiotic resistance genes were recorded in Vibrio strains. All Vibrio isolates (100%) were resistant to ampicillin 10 μg and amoxicillin 30 μg, while they showed high sensitivity against florfenicol 30 µg (83.3%) and ciprofloxacin 5 µg (77.7%). Challenge experiments in Nile tilapia confirmed pathogenicity of the isolates. Fish showed symptoms of septicemia and high mortality was observed. Infections induced numerous histopathological alterations in diseased fish. This is the first report of V. mimicus outbreaks associated with mass mortality in Egyptian farmed Nile tilapia. The findings form the basis for future development of effective control and preventive measures against one of the most infectious pathogens that affect fish and humans.

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Acknowledgements

Shimaa E. Ali was supported by Norad project (RAF-19/0051).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Hydrobiology, Veterinary Research Institute, National Research Centre, Dokki, Cairo, 12622, Egypt

    Mamdouh Y. Elgendy, Amany M. Kenawy & Shimaa E. Ali

  2. Department of Aquatic Animal Medicine and Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Cairo University, Giza, 12211, Egypt

    Mohamed Abdelsalam

  3. WorldFish, Abbassa, Sharkia, Egypt

    Shimaa E. Ali

Authors
  1. Mamdouh Y. Elgendy
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  2. Mohamed Abdelsalam
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  3. Amany M. Kenawy
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  4. Shimaa E. Ali
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Contributions

This study was conducted through cooperation between all authors. Mamdouh Y. Elgendy, Mohamed Abdelsalam, Amany M. Kenawy, and Shimaa E. Ali: Conceptualization and designing of the study. Mamdouh Y. Elgendy performed sampling, and clinical examination of fish. Mamdouh Y. Elgendy and Shimaa E. Ali performed the bacteriological examination of fish. Mohamed Abdelsalam and Mamdouh Y. Elgendy conducted the molecular studies. Amany M. Kenawy performed the histopathological study. Mamdouh Y. Elgendy wrote and concluded the manuscript. Mamdouh Y. Elgendy and Mohamed Abdelsalam drafted, revised, and edited the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Mamdouh Y. Elgendy or Mohamed Abdelsalam.

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The study followed the guidelines and instructions of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee, National Research Centre, Egypt.

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Elgendy, M.Y., Abdelsalam, M., Kenawy, A.M. et al. Vibriosis outbreaks in farmed Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) caused by Vibrio mimicus and V. cholerae. Aquacult Int 30, 2661–2677 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-022-00921-8

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Keywords

  • Histopathology
  • Nile tilapia
  • recA gene sequence analysis
  • Vibrio mimicus, V. cholerae, virulence genes

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