An outbreak of lactococcus garvieae infection in cage-cultured red lip mullet chelon haematocheilus with green liver syndrome

Abstract

Red lip mullet Chelon haematocheilus (body weight = 468 ± 91 g) which became sick during an outbreak of disease at mariculture facilities at Cheonsu Bay, Korea, during July–August 2013, were examined to identify the cause of the disease. Diseased mullets displayed green liver syndrome, and Lactococcus garvieae were isolated from their internal organs. Argulus sp., Trichodina sp., and/or Vibrio spp. were also discovered in some infected fish. Histopathological examination revealed that fatty liver syndrome with hepatocyte degeneration, reflected in heterokaryons, inflammatory lesions, and melanomacrophage centers (MMCS), had caused fibrosis around the kidney, spleen, and blood vessels. After the outbreak, visceral fat and green liver syndrome in the mullets were consistently observed throughout the year in the same mariculture facilities, indicating that the cultured mullets suffered a chronic metabolic disorder. Although Vibrio spp. were also isolated from some individuals, L. garvieae, which is known to be a causative agent of red lip mullet mortality, was isolated from all diseased individuals. This is the first report of L. garvieae infection in cultured red lip mullet.