title: First report of Edwardsiellosis in cage-cultured sharpsnout sea bream, Diplodus puntazzo from the Mediterranean.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Edwardsiella tarda, is a serious bacterial pathogen affecting a broad range of aquaculture fish species. The bacterium has also been reported as a human pathogen, however recent studies have dissociated the fish pathogenic Edwardsiella from those isolated from humans by placing them in a new species, E. piscicida. Here we report the first case of Edwardsiellosis in cultured sharpsnout sea breams, Diplodus puntazzo in Greece.
  
  
  METHODS
  The disease has affected cultured sharpsnout sea breams of a commercial fish farm in a single location in East Greece. Two populations of sharpsnout sea breams stocked in two consecutive years in floating cages presented signs of disease which included nodules and abscesses in spleen and kidney, morbidity and cumulative mortality reaching 5.3 %. Using microbiological, biochemical and molecular tools we have identified Edwardsiella sp. as the main aetiological factor of the disease. Following phylogenetic analysis the bacterial isolates are grouped with the newly described Edwardsiella piscicida species.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This is the first report of Edwardsiellosis in this species but most importantly in sea cage-cultured fish in the Mediterranean which may pose a serious threat for aquaculture fish species in this region.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Former American Base of Gournes, Heraklion, 71003, Crete, Greece. katharios@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Pantelis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Katharios
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Former American Base of Gournes, Heraklion, 71003, Crete, Greece. dkok@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Constantina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Kokkari
authors.affiliation: Selonda Aquaculture, Navarhou Nikodimou 30, 105 56, Athens, Greece. Dourala.N@gr.selonda.com.
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dourala
authors.affiliation: Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture, Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, Former American Base of Gournes, Heraklion, 71003, Crete, Greece. msmyrli@hcmr.gr.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Smyrli
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D020609:Edwardsiella tarda / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D004756:Enterobacteriaceae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000382:microbiology*; D006115:Greece / Q000453:epidemiology; D019083:Mediterranean Region; D021541:Sea Bream