ABSTRACT: High mortality among laboratory cultured Iberian toothcarp Aphanius iberus occurred in February 1997 in Valencia (Spain). The main signs of the disease were external haemorrhage and tail rot. Bacteria isolated from internal organs of infected fish were biochemically homogeneous and identified as Vibrio parahaemolyticus. The bacteria were haemolytic against erythrocytes from eel Anguilla anguilla, amberjack Seriola dumerili, toothcarp A. iberus and humans, and were Kanagawa-phenomenon-negative. Infectivity tests showed that the virulence for A. iberus was dependent on salinity. Finally, all strains were virulent for amberjack and eel.

KEY WORDS: Vibrio parahaemolyticus · Vibriosis · Fish disease · Aphanius iberus

Published in DAO Vol. 35, No. 1 (1999) on January 7
ISSN: 0177-5103. Copyright © Inter-Research, Oldendorf/Luhe, 1999