Detection of Vibrio anguillarum from Waters

Abstract

Detections of Vibrio anguillarum from freshwater of ayu Plecoglossus altivelis culture ponds and sea water of the Inland Sea of Japan were made by a two-step culture method consisting of alkaline peptone water and BTB teepole agar. As the results, V. anguillarum was often detected from sea waters especially when water temperature was below 20°C, but not from freshwaters in spite of the occurrence of vibriosis in some ponds. Among 89 isolated strains of V. anguillarum, only 13 strains belong to the known serotypes form A to I, and 8 strains were pathogenic to ayu or Japanese eel Anguilla japonica. It was demonstrated by in vitro experiments that the organism persisted in sea water but perished within 3 to 5 h in freshwater. © 1986, The Japanese Society of Fisheries Science. All rights reserved.