Abstract

Members of the genus Oncorhynchus were introduced from the Pacific Northwest to the Laurentian Great Lakes basin and now constitute one of its most commercially and ecologically valuable fisheries. Recently, infections by a group of Gram-positive atypical lactobacilli belonging to the genus Carnobacterium have been detected in feral and captive Oncorhynchus spp. broodstock, some of which were associated with mortalities. Out of 1564 rainbow and steelhead trout (O. mykiss), coho salmon (O. kisutch), and Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha) that were bacteriologically examined, 57 Carnobacterium spp. isolates were recovered from the kidneys, spleen, swimbladder, and/or external ulcerations of 51 infected fish. Phenotypic and biochemical characterization, as well as partial 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analyses of 30 representative isolates identified 29 as Carnobacterium maltaromaticum and 1 as C. divergens, though some phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity was observed. Infections with C. maltaromaticum were associated with signitures typical of pseudokidney disease, but on occasion were also observed in fish displaying the gross and histopathological changes characteristic of nephrocalcinosis. While C. maltaromaticum infections were found to be widespread in both feral and farmed spawning populations of Oncorhynchus spp. residing within the Great Lakes basin, infection prevalence varied significantly according to fish species and strain, gender, and across time, but not by sampling location according to logistic regression analysis. The findings of this study further underscore the presence of phenotypic variations among Carnobacterium maltaromaticum strains that necessitate genotypic analysis to achieve definitive identification.

• Keywords: Carnobacterium; Oncorhynchus; Great Lakes; bacteria; nephrocalcinosis