Vibrio harveyi: a serious pathogen of fish and invertebrates in mariculture

Abstract

Vibrio harveyi, which belongs to family Vibrionaceae of class Gammaproteobacteria, includes the species V. carchariae and V. trachuri as its junior synonyms. The organism is a well-recognized and serious bacterial pathogen of marine fish and invertebrates, including penaeid shrimp, in aquaculture. Diseased fish may exhibit a range of lesions, including eye lesions/blindness, gastro-enteritis, muscle necrosis, skin ulcers, and tail rot disease. In shrimp, V. harveyi is regarded as the etiological agent of luminous vibriosis in which affected animals glow in the dark. There is a second condition of shrimp known as Bolitas negricans where the digestive tract is filled with spheres of sloughed-off tissue. It is recognized that the pathogenicity mechanisms of V. harveyi may be different in fish and penaeid shrimp. In shrimp, the pathogenicity mechanisms involved the endotoxin lipopolysaccharide, and extracellular proteases, and interaction with bacteriophages. In fish, the pathogenicity mechanisms involved extracellular hemolysin (encoded by duplicate hemolysin genes), which was identified as a phospholipase B and could inactivate fish cells by apoptosis, via the caspase activation pathway. V. harveyi may enter the so-called viable but nonculturable (VBNC) state, and resuscitation of the VBNC cells may be an important reason for vibriosis outbreaks in aquaculture. Disease control measures center on dietary supplements (including probiotics), nonspecific immunostimulants, and vaccines and to a lesser extent antibiotics and other antimicrobial compounds.

Gut–Liver Immune Response and Gut Microbiota Profiling Reveal the Pathogenic Mechanisms of Vibrio harveyi in Pearl Gentian Grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus♂ × E. fuscoguttatus♀)

“…The visceral organs of affected fish become congested and inflamed, particularly the liver, spleen, and kidney, resulting into gastroenteritis, vasculitis, septicemia, etc. (10)(11)(12). Fish have many nonspecific and specific immune mechanisms to eliminate pathogens during their attachment, penetration, survival, and spread within the host, thus resisting bacterial diseases (13).…”

How do Quorum Sensing Signals Mediate Algae–Bacteria Interactions?

“…Furthermore, because QS can dictate virulence signals, particular attention has been paid to QS in Vibrio spp. because species of this genus often have multiple QS circuits [24], including Vibrio species which are pathogens of human [27], fish, and mollusks [28][29][30].…”

Use of Zebrafish Embryo Assay to Evaluate Toxicity and Safety of Bioreactor-Grown Exopolysaccharides and Endopolysaccharides from European Ganoderma applanatum Mycelium for Future Aquaculture Applications

“…It is therefore necessary to test and verify the toxicity status of EPS-ENS polysaccharide extract prior to pilot and commercial use; such as, the use of a zebrafish larvae model to evaluate these bioactive substances as part of a fish feed formulation study [23,24]. For example, use of antibacterial polysaccharides from Undaria pinnatifida (macroalgae) was reported by Rizzo et al, [25] for the treatment of prominent aquaculture disease Vibrio harveyi causes death of marine fish [26] due to vasculitis, gastro-enteritis and eye lesions.…”