Moritella viscosa in lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus) and Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar)

• Published in: Journal of Fish Diseases
• Main Authors: Einarsdottir, Thorbjorg, Sigurdardottir, Heida, Bjornsdottir, Thorunn Soley, Einarsdottir, Elisabet
• Other Authors: Icelandic Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2018
• Subjects: Atlantic salmon; Salmo salar
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jfd.12884; https://api.wiley.com/onlinelibrary/tdm/v1/articles/10.1111%2Fjfd.12884; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jfd.12884

Abstract Winter ulcer disease, caused by Moritella viscosa , is a significant problem in cold water salmonid farming, although the bacterium can infect and cause disease in a number of other fish species, such as lumpfish ( Cyclopterus lumpus ). Lumpfish are used as cleaner fish, to eat sea lice from Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) in sea pens. It remains to be established whether M. viscosa can be transmitted between the fish species. In this study, we examined whether a salmon isolate of M. viscosa could infect and cause disease in lumpfish. We further examined whether a lumpfish isolate of M. viscosa could infect and cause disease in salmon. Finally, we examined whether vaccination of salmon with a salmon isolate of M. viscosa conferred protection against a lumpfish isolate. The data indicate that while lumpfish appeared to be resistant to a salmon isolate of M. viscosa , the salmon could be infected with a lumpfish isolate of M. viscosa . Vaccination protected the salmon against the salmon isolate of M. viscosa but did not confer sufficient protection to prevent infection with the lumpfish isolate.