Columnaris

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Columnaris in a Chinook salmon Columnaris disease.jpg
Columnaris in a Chinook salmon

Columnaris (also referred to as cottonmouth and saddle-back disease) is a disease in fish which results from an infection caused by the Gram-negative, aerobic, rod-shaped bacterium Flavobacterium columnare . It was previously known as Bacillus columnaris, Chondrococcus columnaris, Cytophaga columnaris and Flexibacter columnaris. The bacteria are ubiquitous in fresh water, and cultured fish reared in ponds or raceways are the primary concern – with disease most prevalent in air temperatures above 12–14 °C. Due to the appearance of bacterial clumps, it can be mistaken for a fungal infection. The disease is highly contagious, and the outcome is commonly fatal. It is not zoonotic.

Contents

Causes

Columnaris disease occurs in both wild and farmed freshwater fish and is caused by the bacteria F. columnare. The age of an infected fish impacts the course of the infection. [1] The bacteria usually enter fish through gills, mouth, or small wounds, and is prevalent where high bioloads exist, or where conditions may be stressful due to overcrowding or low dissolved oxygen levels in the water column. The bacteria can persist in water for up to 32 days when the hardness is 50 ppm or more. [2] Minerals are however essential for fish and the reduction or removal of such minerals in treatment for Columnaris would affect fish mineral uptake and thus affect: oxygen utilization, osmotic regulation, metabolic processes, among may other biological processes and poor minerals (GH) may be a contributing cause to the advancement in severity of this disease, as deficits can increase vulnerability to opportunistic infections.

Symptoms

Columnaris disease can occur in both acute and chronic cases. In acute cases of columnaris, the disease may progress so quickly that it shows no superficial signs at death. Signs of acute disease may manifest in the form of shortness of breath, gill discolouration, and itching as indicated by flashing, quick movements of a fish rubbing skin against other surfaces. [3] Columnaris disease in young fish is acute and damages the gills, leading to death by respiratory distress. [1] In chronic cases, fin rot, or frayed and ragged fins, can appear. These begin at the base of the dorsal fin on the back of a fish and spread over time, hence the name saddleback disease. [3] Ulcerations on the skin, and subsequent epidermal loss, identifiable as white or cloudy, fungus-like patches – particularly on the gill filaments, may appear. Mucus also accumulates on the gills, head and dorsal regions. Gills will change colour, either becoming light or dark brown, and may also manifest necrosis. Fish will breathe rapidly and laboriously as a sign of gill damage. Anorexia and lethargy are common, as are mortalities, especially in young fish.

Diagnosis

Bacteria can be isolated from gills, skin and the kidneys. For definitive diagnosis, the pathogen should then be cultured on reduced nutrient agar. Inhibiting contaminant growth on the agar by adding antibiotics and keeping the temperature at 37 °C should improve culture results. Colonies are small, 3–4 mm in diameter, and grow within 24 hours. They are characteristically rhizoid in structure and pale yellow in colour.

Prognosis

Early detection of the disease is vital to reducing spread and financial loss to fish farmers. [1] Ulcerations develop within 24 to 48 hours. Fatality occurs between 48 and 72 hours if no treatment is pursued; however, at higher temperatures death may occur within hours. Other symptoms may accompany the disease, including lethargy, color loss, redness around the infection site, loss of appetite and twitching or rubbing the body against objects. [4]

Treatment

As Flavobacterium columnare is Gram-negative, fish can be treated with a combination of the antibiotics nitrofurazone and kanamycin administered together synergistically. A medicated fish bath (ideally using aquarium merbromin, alternately methylene blue, or potassium permanganate and salt), [5] is generally a first step, as well lowering the aquarium temperature to 75 °F (24 °C) is a must, since columnaris is much more virulent at higher temperatures, especially 85–90 °F. [6]

Medicated food containing oxytetracycline is also an effective treatment for internal infections, but resistance is emerging. Potassium permanganate, copper sulfate, and hydrogen peroxide can also be applied externally to adult fish and fry, but can be toxic at high concentrations. Vaccines can also be given in the face of an outbreak or to prevent disease occurrence.

History

In 1922, columnaris disease was first described by Herbert Spencer Davis in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries Bulletin, where he stated the bacteria responsible for the disease should be called Bacillus columnaris due to its shape. He was unsuccessful in culturing the disease artificially but acknowledged that "Bacillus columnaris is widely distributed over the country" being most deadly during warm weather and to fish already injured in some way. [7] EJ Ordal and Rucker isolated the first culture in 1944, identified it as a slime bacterium, and named it Chondrococcus columnaris. [8] Laura Garnjobst evaluated the bacterium to be Cytophaga columnaris in a 1945 article due to its behaviour. [9] After further research in 1989 on DNA and phenotypes, Jean-Francois Bernardet and Patrick A. D. Grimont reclassified the bacterium Flexibacter columnaris. [10] After further study led by Bernardet in 1996, the name was changed to Flavobacterium columnare. [1] [11]

Related Research Articles

A mesophile is an organism that grows best in moderate temperature, neither too hot nor too cold, with an optimum growth range from 20 to 45 °C. The optimum growth temperature for these organisms is 37 °C. The term is mainly applied to microorganisms. Organisms that prefer extreme environments are known as extremophiles. Mesophiles have diverse classifications, belonging to two domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and to kingdom Fungi of domain Eucarya. Mesophiles belonging to the domain Bacteria can either be gram-positive or gram-negative. Oxygen requirements for mesophiles can be aerobic or anaerobic. There are three basic shapes of mesophiles: coccus, bacillus, and spiral.

<i>Flavobacterium</i> Genus of bacteria

Flavobacterium is a genus of Gram-negative, nonmotile and motile, rod-shaped bacteria that consists of 130 recognized species. Flavobacteria are found in soil and fresh water in a variety of environments. Several species are known to cause disease in freshwater fish.

<i>Aeromonas hydrophila</i> Species of heterotrophic, Gram-negative, bacterium

Aeromonas hydrophila is a heterotrophic, Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium mainly found in areas with a warm climate. This bacterium can be found in fresh or brackish water. It can survive in aerobic and anaerobic environments, and can digest materials such as gelatin and hemoglobin. A. hydrophila was isolated from humans and animals in the 1950s. It is the best known of the species of Aeromonas. It is resistant to most common antibiotics and cold temperatures and is oxidase- and indole-positive. Aeromonas hydrophila also has a symbiotic relationship as gut flora inside of certain leeches, such as Hirudo medicinalis.

<i>Elizabethkingia meningoseptica</i> Species of bacterium

Elizabethkingia meningoseptica is a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium widely distributed in nature. It may be normally present in fish and frogs; it may be isolated from chronic infectious states, as in the sputum of cystic fibrosis patients. In 1959, American bacteriologist Elizabeth O. King was studying unclassified bacteria associated with pediatric meningitis at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, when she isolated an organism that she named Flavobacterium meningosepticum. In 1994, it was reclassified in the genus Chryseobacterium and renamed Chryseobacterium meningosepticum(chryseos = "golden" in Greek, so Chryseobacterium means a golden/yellow rod similar to Flavobacterium). In 2005, a 16S rRNA phylogenetic tree of Chryseobacteria showed that C. meningosepticum along with C. miricola were close to each other but outside the tree of the rest of the Chryseobacteria and were then placed in a new genus Elizabethkingia named after the original discoverer of F. meningosepticum.

<i>Geobacillus stearothermophilus</i> Species of bacterium

Geobacillus stearothermophilus is a rod-shaped, Gram-positive bacterium and a member of the phylum Bacillota. The bacterium is a thermophile and is widely distributed in soil, hot springs, ocean sediment, and is a cause of spoilage in food products. It will grow within a temperature range of 30–75 °C. Some strains are capable of oxidizing carbon monoxide aerobically. It is commonly used as a challenge organism for sterilization validation studies and periodic check of sterilization cycles. The biological indicator contains spores of the organism on filter paper inside a vial. After sterilizing, the cap is closed, an ampule of growth medium inside of the vial is crushed and the whole vial is incubated. A color and/or turbidity change indicates the results of the sterilization process; no change indicates that the sterilization conditions were achieved, otherwise the growth of the spores indicates that the sterilization process has not been met. Fluorescent-tagged strains, known as rapid-read BIs, are becoming more common to verify sterilization, since the visible fluorescence appears in about one-tenth the time needed for pH-indicator color change and an inexpensive light sensor can detect the growing colonies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Flavobacteriia</span> Class of bacteria

The class Flavobacteriia is composed of a single class of environmental bacteria. It contains the family Flavobacteriaceae, which is the largest family in the phylum Bacteroidota. This class is widely distributed in soil, fresh, and seawater habitats. The name is often spelt Flavobacteria, but was officially named Flavobacteriia in 2012.

<i>Flavobacterium columnare</i> Species of bacterium

Flavobacterium columnare is a thin Gram-negative rod bacterium of the genus Flavobacterium. The name derives from the way in which the organism grows in rhizoid columnar formations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lost River sucker</span> Species of fish

The Lost River sucker , known as the c'waam by the Klamath Tribes, is a species of ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidae. It is the only living member of the genus Deltistes. It is found only in California and Oregon. Its population is much reduced from historical numbers for a number of reasons. It is federally listed as an endangered species of the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gliding motility</span> Method of mobility used by microorganisms

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Cedecea is a genus of extremely rare bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae. The name of this genus was derived from CDC, the abbreviation for the Centers for Disease Control where the initial members of this genus were discovered. This genus resembles no other group of Enterobacteriaceae. Cedecea bacteria are Gram-negative, bacillus in shape, motile, nonencapsulated, and non-spore-forming. The strains of Cedecea appear to be similar to those of Serratia. Both Cedecea and Serratia are lipase positive and resistant to colistin and cephalothin; however, Cedecea is unable to hydrolyze gelatin or DNA.

<i>Chryseobacterium</i> Genus of bacteria

Chryseobacterium is a genus of Gram-negative bacteria. Chryseobacterium species are chemoorganotrophic, rod shape gram-negative bacteria. Chryseobacterium form typical yellow-orange color colonies due to flexirubin-type pigment. The genus contains more than 100 described species from diverse habitats, including freshwater sources, soil, marine fish, and human hosts.

<i>Cytophaga</i> Genus of bacteria

Cytophaga is a genus of Gram-negative, gliding, rod-shaped bacteria. This bacterium is commonly found in soil, rapidly digests crystalline cellulose C. hutchinsonii is able to use its gliding motility to move quickly over surfaces. Although the mechanism for this is not known, there is a belief that the flagellum is not used

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ice-ice</span> Disease condition of seaweed

Ice-ice is a disease condition of seaweed. Ice-ice is caused when changes in salinity, ocean temperature and light intensity cause stress to seaweeds, making them produce a "moist organic substance" that attracts bacteria in the water and induces the characteristic "whitening" and hardening of the seaweed's tissues. Bacteria involved include those in the Vibrio-Aeromonas and Cytophaga-Flavobacteria complexes. The bacteria lyse epidermal cells and chloroplasts, turning the seaweed tissue white. The disease is known from seaweeds including Kappaphycus alvarezii and Eucheuma denticulatum, economically important sources of carrageenan. In countries where seaweed is harvested as a crop, ice-ice can wreak havoc on yields. Zamboanga, Philippines, had an outbreak of ice-ice in 2004, and Bali, Indonesia, experienced an outbreak in 2009. A rise in surface sea temperatures of 2–3 degrees Celsius can trigger ice-ice outbreaks.

Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) is a bacterial disease of freshwater fish, specifically salmonid fish. It is caused by the bacterium Flavobacterium psychrophilum, a psychrophilic, gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium of the family Flavobacteriaceae. This bacterium is found in fresh waters with the optimal growth temperature below 13 °C, and it can be seen in any area with water temperatures consistently below 15 °C. Salmon are the most commonly affected species. This disease is not zoonotic.

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Columnar is a type of epithelial cell.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth O. King</span> American bacteriologist (1912–1966)

Elizabeth Osborne King was an American microbiologist who discovered and described bacteria of medical importance at the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from the late 1940s through the early 1960s. A 1984 CDC manual dedication referred to King as "internationally known as an authority on a variety of unusual bacteria." The genera Kingella and Elizabethkingia and several species of bacteria are named to honor her for her pioneering work. King died of cancer on April 8, 1966, in Atlanta, where she is interred in Oakland Cemetery.

Tenacibaculum is a gram-negative and motile bacterial genus from the family of Flavobacteriaceae.

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Declercq, Annelies Maria; Haesebrouck, Freddy; Van den Broeck, Wim; Bossier, Peter; Decostere, Annemie (24 April 2013). "Columnaris Disease in Fish: A Review with Emphasis on Bacterium-Host Interactions". Veterinary Research. 44 (1): 27. doi: 10.1186/1297-9716-44-27 . PMC   3648355 . PMID   23617544.
  2. ↑ Aukes, G. Fish disease articles: Columnaris disease. Retrieved 25 July 2007.
  3. 1 2 Hadfield, Catherine; Clayton, Leigh, eds. (10 June 2020). Clinical Guide to Fish Medicine. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 328, 445–447. ISBN   978-1-119-25955-8 . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  4. ↑ Fournier, Christie. "Cotton Wool Disease (Flexibacter Columnaris)". Nippyfish.net. March 2, 2011. Retrieved March 16, 2011.
  5. ↑ "Fish Baths".
  6. ↑ "Columnaris in Fish".
  7. ↑ H. S. Davis (1922). A New Bacterial Disease of Fresh-Water Fishes (PDF) (Report). U. S. Bureau of Fisheries. pp. 261–280. Archived (PDF) from the original on 22 August 2024. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  8. ↑ Bullock, G. L.; Hsu, Ta-Chun; Shotts, E. B. (1986). Columnaris Disease of Fishes (Report). U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Division of Fisheries and Wetlands Research. p. 1. Archived from the original on 31 July 2024. Retrieved 24 August 2024.
  9. ↑ Laura, Garnjobst (1 February 1945). "Cytophaga columnaris (Davis) in Pure Culture: A Myxobacterium Pathogenic to Fish". Journal of Bacteriology. 49 (2): 113–128. doi:10.1128/jb.49.2.113-128.1945. ISSN   0021-9193. PMC   518003 . PMID   16560903 . Retrieved 26 August 2024.
  10. ↑ Jean-Francois, Bernardet; Grimont, Patrick A. D. (1 July 1989). "Deoxyribonucleic Acid Relatedness and Phenotypic Characterization of Flexibacter columnaris sp. nov., nom. rev., Flexibacter psychrophilus sp. nov., nom. rev., and Flexibacter maritimus Wakabayashi, Hikida, and Masumura 1986". International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 39 (3): 346–354. doi:10.1099/00207713-39-3-346 . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
  11. ↑ Bernardet; Segers; Vancanneyt; Berthe; Kersters; Vandamme (1 January 1996). "Cutting a Gordian Knot: Emended Classification and Description of the Genus Flavobacterium, Emended Description of the Family Flavobacteriaceae, and Proposal of Flavobacterium hydatis nom. nov. (Basonym, Cytophaga aquatilis Strohl and Tait 1978)". International Journal of Systematic Bacteriology. 39: 128–148. doi:10.1099/00207713-46-1-128 . Retrieved 27 August 2024.
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