Isolation and characterization of the causative agent of pasteurellosis, Photobacterium damsela ssp. piscicida, from sole, Solea senegalensis (Kaup)

The first description of pasteurellosis affecting sole, Solea senegalensis (Kaup), cultured in the South-west of Spain is reported. Diseased fish showed no apparent lesions except for a dark skin pigmentation and swelling in the abdominal cavity. Internally, affected specimens showed paleness of liver and kidney and typical white tubercles of 1‐2 mm in diameter in the spleen. Microbiological analysis of these fish revealed the presence, in pure culture from all the organs examined, of one type of bacterial colony which was biochemically and serologically characterized as Photobacterium damsela ssp. piscicida. The sensitivity pattern to antimicrobials and the enzymatic activities of the bacterial extracellular products are described.