Naturally infected channel catfish concurrently transmit Ich and E. ictaluri to naive catfish

What is it about?

Bacterium Edwardsiella ictaluri and parasite Ichthyophthirius multifiliis (Ich) are two common pathogens of catfish which cause major losses to aquaculture. This study exposed naive channel catfish to naturally infected fish that carried Ich and E. ictaluri to provide clinical evidence for transmission of two pathogens. This study demonstrated that co-infections increase the severity of infectious diseases and lead to higher mortality comparing to fish infected by a single pathogen.

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Why is it important?

The results showed that fish naturally coinfected with Ich and E. ictaluri could concomitantly transmit both pathogens to naive fish. The results are important to understand the potential ability of parasites to vector bacterial disease. Parasites introduced via wild fish or fish from other farms could concomitantly involve the transmission of microbial disease agents. Precaution is needed to thoroughly examine fish prior to shipment or purchase to prevent the spread of aquatic animal pathogens.