12
CARL J. SINDERMANN
dermis was the etiological agent. More recently, Shewan (1963) has
suggested that the pathogen should be placed in the genus Vibrio.
Tuberculous lesions with acid-fast bacilli have been reported from
a number of commercial marine fishes, including halibut (Sutherland,
1922 ; Johnstone, 1927 ; Hodgkiss and Shewan, 1950), cod (Alexander,
1913 ; Johnstone, 1913), and plaice (Hodgkiss and Shewan, op. cit.).
Spontaneous lesions of this type in marine fishes have been thought
until recently to be rare, so that single cases have warranted descriptions in the literature. Aronson (1926) characterized and named
Mycobacteriuin marinun? from several species of marine fishes, including
Atlantic croaker, Micropogon undulatus (L.) and sea bass, Centroprisfes
striatus (L.), in the Philadelphia Aquarium ; this remains as the only
fully-characterized Mycobacterium of marine fish origin, although others
are known to exist and have been partially characterized (Alexander,
1913; Sutherland, 1922; Griffith, 1930; Reichenbach-Klinke, 1955~).
Aronson (1938) pointed out that mycobacteria responsible for spontaneous tuberculosis in marine fishes differed from acid-fast bacilli
known as human pathogens, but the classification of pathogenic mycobacteria is at present very confused (McMillen and Kishner, 1959;
McMillen, 1960; Nigrelli and Vogel, 1963). A recent review by Vogel
(1958) reported acid-fast bacillus disease, principally in the form of
visceral lesions, in 120 species of marine and fresh-water teleosts
throughout the world. Parisot (1958) has also reviewed the literature
on tuberculosis in fish. He suggested that this disease may be serious
for adult Pacific salmonids, and that it may be partly responsible for
recent decreases in the catch. Wood and Ordal(1958), Ross et al. (1959),
and Ross (1960) found high prevalence of tuberculosis in salmon returning from the sea, but attributed much of it to early exposure t o bacilli
in hatchery diets which included carcasses of tuberculous fish. Walford
(1958) listed tuberculosis as a disease of young Pacific salmon, and felt
that the pathogen may have been acquired in the sea. Infected fish were
characterized by reduced growth, incomplete gonad development, and
kidney lesions containing acid-fast bacilli.
I n addition to tuberculosis, Walford considered several other
interesting bacterial diseases of young Pacific salmon from salt water.
(1) " Hemorrhagic septicemia " occurred repeatedly and caused
extensive mortalities in young salmon held in salt water. Outbreaks
were found t o be caused by a Vibrio enzootic in Pacific herring, and
thought to be responsible for outbreaks and mortalities in herring and
sardines, Sardinops sagax (Jenyns), of the Pacific Northwest. Other
organisms, such as Pseudomonas (Aeromonas) punctata have been
reported to cause hemorrhagic septicemia in fresh-water pond fishes.
CARL J. SINDERMANN
dermis was the etiological agent. More recently, Shewan (1963) has
suggested that the pathogen should be placed in the genus Vibrio.
Tuberculous lesions with acid-fast bacilli have been reported from
a number of commercial marine fishes, including halibut (Sutherland,
1922 ; Johnstone, 1927 ; Hodgkiss and Shewan, 1950), cod (Alexander,
1913 ; Johnstone, 1913), and plaice (Hodgkiss and Shewan, op. cit.).
Spontaneous lesions of this type in marine fishes have been thought
until recently to be rare, so that single cases have warranted descriptions in the literature. Aronson (1926) characterized and named
Mycobacteriuin marinun? from several species of marine fishes, including
Atlantic croaker, Micropogon undulatus (L.) and sea bass, Centroprisfes
striatus (L.), in the Philadelphia Aquarium ; this remains as the only
fully-characterized Mycobacterium of marine fish origin, although others
are known to exist and have been partially characterized (Alexander,
1913; Sutherland, 1922; Griffith, 1930; Reichenbach-Klinke, 1955~).
Aronson (1938) pointed out that mycobacteria responsible for spontaneous tuberculosis in marine fishes differed from acid-fast bacilli
known as human pathogens, but the classification of pathogenic mycobacteria is at present very confused (McMillen and Kishner, 1959;
McMillen, 1960; Nigrelli and Vogel, 1963). A recent review by Vogel
(1958) reported acid-fast bacillus disease, principally in the form of
visceral lesions, in 120 species of marine and fresh-water teleosts
throughout the world. Parisot (1958) has also reviewed the literature
on tuberculosis in fish. He suggested that this disease may be serious
for adult Pacific salmonids, and that it may be partly responsible for
recent decreases in the catch. Wood and Ordal(1958), Ross et al. (1959),
and Ross (1960) found high prevalence of tuberculosis in salmon returning from the sea, but attributed much of it to early exposure t o bacilli
in hatchery diets which included carcasses of tuberculous fish. Walford
(1958) listed tuberculosis as a disease of young Pacific salmon, and felt
that the pathogen may have been acquired in the sea. Infected fish were
characterized by reduced growth, incomplete gonad development, and
kidney lesions containing acid-fast bacilli.
I n addition to tuberculosis, Walford considered several other
interesting bacterial diseases of young Pacific salmon from salt water.
(1) " Hemorrhagic septicemia " occurred repeatedly and caused
extensive mortalities in young salmon held in salt water. Outbreaks
were found t o be caused by a Vibrio enzootic in Pacific herring, and
thought to be responsible for outbreaks and mortalities in herring and
sardines, Sardinops sagax (Jenyns), of the Pacific Northwest. Other
organisms, such as Pseudomonas (Aeromonas) punctata have been
reported to cause hemorrhagic septicemia in fresh-water pond fishes.