New Disease Kills Fish

Sometimes we get way too interested in ourselves. We forget that new diseases are also being reported in the plants and animals that live with us on this big planet. A new disease is killing fish in the Chesapeake Bay. A recent article authored by R.A. Heckert, S. Elankumaran, A. Milani and A. Baya in the February 2001 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology describes a new disease caused by a bacterium in the genus Mycobacterium is killing the striped bass in the bay. The authors are members of the University of Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine.

In the early 1980's many fish populations including the striped bass were dying off in the Chesapeake Bay. Restrictions on fishing activity improved the fish populations in the early 1990s, but by the end of the decade there was again a noticeable decline in the striped bass population. After closely monitoring the health of the striped bass population, officials discovered that many of the fish suffered from a disease that infected their entire body due to this new Mycobacterium species. The disease is called mycobacteriosis and oftentimes causes the fish to lose their appetite and grow slowly. In some cases blisters and ulcer can develop on the fish.

"This was the first time that mycobacteriosis had been detected in the Chesapeake Bay and represents the first reported case of mycobacteriosis in wild fish on the Atlantic coast," say the researchers, who have isolated the bacterium responsible and suggest that it is a new species of Mycobacterium. Mycobacteriosis is a chronic, progressive disease and may take years to develop.  Although mycobacteriosis is an old disease and exists worldwide, there have been very few reports of its occurrence in the wild and very little is known about its prevalence and impact on wild fisheries.

Identification of the cause of this fish kill may help researchers find ways of stopping the epidemic and hopefully save the striped bass population in the Chesapeake Bay. So remember even fish have problems with diseases and new diseases are cropping up all the time in their ranks as well.

Take Care and Think Microbiologically! For more article on microbiology go to Suite101: Microbiology.

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