Gibson-Kueh, Susan, Terence, Celestine, Chew, Xian Zhe, Uichanco, Joseph Angelo, and Shen, Xueyan (2021) PCR, in-situ hybridization, and phylogenetic analysis suggest that ‘big belly’ disease in barramundi, Lates calcarifer (Bloch), is caused by a novel Vibrio species. Journal of Fish Diseases, 44 (12). pp. 1985-1992.

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Abstract

‘Big belly’ disease is a chronic, granulomatous bacterial enteritis and peritonitis, first reported in 3- to 4-week-old Asian seabass or barramundi, Lates calcarifer Bloch fry. Affected fry are emaciated and have a swollen abdomen, and the condition is referred to as ‘skinny pot-belly’ or ‘big belly’ disease. In this study, histopathological examinations of diseased fish from a batch of 2-month-old, 6- to 8-cm L. calcarifer fingerlings, kept in seawater recirculating aquaculture systems, showed pathology resembling ‘big belly’ disease. Ethanol-fixed tissues were tested positive using specific PCR primers based on 16S rRNA genes. In situ hybridization using dioxygenin-labelled positive PCR products on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues showed positive reactions with intralesional, clusters of the large, ‘big belly’ coccobacilli. A phylogenetic tree constructed based on analyses of these 16S rRNA gene PCR products from five positive fish suggests that the ‘big belly’ bacterium is most likely a novel Vibrio species.

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