title: First report of Streptococcus parauberis in wild finfish from North America.
abstract: Streptococcosis is a common cause of pathology and mortality in fishes resulting in significant economic losses for the aquaculture industry. One etiologic agent of the disease, Streptococcus parauberis, has been associated with fish mortalities in Spain and Korea. Here we report the first identification of S. parauberis in wild finfish in Chesapeake Bay, USA. Gram-positive cocci were isolated from the spleens of striped bass, Morone saxatilis, and identified via species-specific primers and 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Biochemical characterization and antibiotic susceptibility tests were used to compare local isolates to isolates infecting aquacultured fishes and dairy cattle. This is also the first report of a plasmid in S. parauberis from any host.
authors.affiliation: Norfolk State University, Department of Biology, Norfolk, VA 23504, USA. anhaines@nsu.edu
authors.forename: Ashley N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Haines
authors.forename: David T
authors.initials: DT
authors.lastname: Gauthier
authors.forename: Emily E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Nebergall
authors.forename: Stephen D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Cole
authors.forename: Khristopher M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Nguyen
authors.forename: Martha W
authors.initials: MW
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: Wolfgang K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Vogelbein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000382:microbiology*; D001492:Bass / Q000382:microbiology*; D002417:Cattle; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000473:pathology; D009656:North America; D013154:Spleen / Q000382:microbiology / Q000473:pathology; D013290:Streptococcal Infections / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D013291:Streptococcus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: Antibiotic; Biochemical; Plasmid; Streptococcus; Striped bass