title: Meningoencephalitis associated with Carnobacterium maltaromaticum-like bacteria in stranded juvenile salmon sharks (Lamna ditropis).
abstract: Juvenile salmon sharks beach yearly along the California coast, primarily during late summer and early fall. Fresh, frozen, and formalin-fixed tissues from 19 stranded salmon sharks were collected for examination. Histopathology revealed meningitis or meningoencephalitis in 18 of 19 shark brains with intralesional bacteria observed in 6 of the affected brains. Bacterial culture of fresh or frozen brain, liver, and/or heart blood from 13 sharks yielded pure cultures characterized molecularly and/or biochemically as belonging to the genus Carnobacterium. The 16s ribosomal DNA sequence of 7 tissue isolates from 7 separate sharks was 99% homologous to C. maltaromaticum (GenBank FJ656722.1). Sequence of the large ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer region (ISR) was 97% homologous to C. maltaromaticum (AF374295.1). This is the first report of Carnobacterium infection in any shark species, and the authors posit that brain infection caused by Carnobacterium is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in juvenile salmon sharks found stranded along the Pacific coast of California.
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Immunology & Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University Veterinary Diagnostic Lab, 200 West Lake St, 1644 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523 USA. aluapa@gmail.com
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Schaffer
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lifland
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Van Sommeran
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Casper
authors.forename: C R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Davis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001921:Brain / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D002140:California; D056573:Carnobacterium / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D005260:Female; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D016908:Gram-Positive Bacterial Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008099:Liver / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D008590:Meningoencephalitis / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA / Q000662:veterinary; D012754:Sharks
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D021903:DNA, Ribosomal Spacer; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S