Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Microorganisms Propose a Special Issue

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Microorganisms and Diseases Associated with Aquatic Animals 2.0

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Microorganisms (ISSN 2076-2607). This special issue belongs to the section "Veterinary Microbiology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 July 2024 | Viewed by 2651

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Patricia Díaz-Rosales

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

Animal Health Research Centre (CISA-INIA), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
Interests: search for new functional ingredients; evaluation of the effect of new ingredients in the fish immune response; use of functional ingredients as potential adjuvants in oral vaccines
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Aquaculture is a solution to the depletion of fisheries resources and the increase in global food demand. However, due to husbandry practices, one of the main constraints in aquaculture production is infectious diseases. Thus, infectious diseases caused by bacteria, viruses, parasites, and fungi are major causes of mortality and economic losses in commercial aquaculture. Therefore, it is essential to comprehend the process of disease outbreak: a complex network of interactions between host, pathogen, and environment. Increased knowledge of the infectious process will help us to find strategies for the prevention and control of diseases.

This Special Issue, entitled “Microorganisms and Diseases Associated with Aquatic Animals”, aims to provide a collection of articles with recent insights into aquaculture infectious disease research, including disease impact and control. Original research, reviews, and short communications dealing with outbreaks, microorganism-host–host interactions, microbial pathogenic and virulence processes, treatment and prevention approaches, techniques for rapid detection of the pathogen, and the development of diagnosis methods are welcome.

Dr. Patricia Díaz-Rosales
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Microorganisms is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

microorganisms
diseases
aquatic animals
prevention
diagnosis
pathogenesis
virulence
vaccines
microbiota
immune system

Published Papers (4 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

24 pages, 18720 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study of the Impact of the Parasitic Microalgae Coccomyxa parasitica on the Health of Bivalve Modiolus kurilensis

by Ayna V. Tumas, Veronika A. Slatvinskaya, Vadim V. Kumeiko and Yulia N. Sokolnikova

Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 997; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12050997 - 15 May 2024

Viewed by 264

Abstract

The invasion of bivalves by parasitic microalgae Coccomyxa is widespread and causes pathologies and dysfunctions of the organs, especially in the most valuable products: the mantle and the muscle. The pathogenesis of the disease remains completely unknown. In this study, based on a macroscopic examination of Modiolus kurilensis and microalgae count in each infected individual, four stages of disease development with characteristic pathognomonic symptoms were described. During the progression of the disease, the concentration of alkaline phosphatase, glucose, calcium, hemolytic and agglutinating activities, number of basophils, eosinophils, phagocytes, and cells with reactive oxygen species increased in the hemolymph, while number of agranulocytes, cells with lysosomes, dead hemocytes, total protein concentration, as well as the weight of mollusks decreased. In the nephridia and digestive gland, necrosis, invasion of Nematopsis sp., hemocyte infiltration, and fibrosis increased. The ratio of changed tubules and occurrence of granulocytomas increased in the digestive gland, while the base membrane, nephrocytes and concretions changed in the nephridia. This study helps establish the variability of these parameters under normal conditions and their alteration during the disease. Moreover, these findings can be used for veterinary monitoring of the state of bivalves in natural and aquaculture populations. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms and Diseases Associated with Aquatic Animals 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 2544 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Genomic Characterization of Listeria monocytogenes and Other Listeria Species Isolated from Sea Turtles

by Ludovica Di Renzo, Maria Elisabetta De Angelis, Marina Torresi, Giulia Mariani, Federica Pizzurro, Luana Fiorella Mincarelli, Emanuele Esposito, Maria Oliviero, Doriana Iaccarino, Fabio Di Nocera, Gianluigi Paduano, Giuseppe Lucifora, Cesare Cammà, Nicola Ferri and Francesco Pomilio

Microorganisms 2024, 12(4), 817; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12040817 - 18 Apr 2024

Viewed by 813

Abstract

Listeria monocytogenes is a ubiquitous pathogen found both in the environment and food. It can cause listeriosis in a wide range of animals as well as in humans. Investigations on presence, spread and virulence are still limited to terrestrial and human environments. Embracing the One Health Approach, investigating the presence and spread of L. monocytogenes in marine ecosystems and among wildlife, would provide us with useful information for human health. This study investigated the presence of L. monocytogenes and Listeria spp. in two species of sea turtles common in the Mediterranean Sea (Caretta caretta and Chelonia mydas). A total of one hundred and sixty-four carcasses of sea turtles (C. caretta n = 161 and C. mydas n = 3) stranded along the Abruzzo, Molise, Campania, and Calabria coasts, were collected. Brain and fecal samples were taken, enriched, and cultured for the detection of Listeria spp. From the specimens collected, strains of L. monocytogenes (brain n = 1, brain and feces n = 1, multiorgan n = 1 and feces n = 1), L. innocua (feces n = 1 and brain n = 1), and L. ivanovii (brain n = 1) were isolated. Typical colonies were isolated for Whole Genome Sequencing (WGS). Virulence genes, disinfectants/metal resistance, and antimicrobial resistance were also investigated. L. monocytogenes, L. innocua, and L. ivanovii were detected in C. caretta, whilst only L. monocytogenes and L. innocua in C. mydas. Notable among the results is the lack of significant differences in gene distribution between human and sea turtle strains. Furthermore, potentially pathogenic strains of L. monocytogenes were found in sea turtles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms and Diseases Associated with Aquatic Animals 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

13 pages, 1275 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Detection of Nucleic Acids of the Fish Pathogen Yersinia ruckeri from Planktonic and Biofilm Samples with a CRISPR/Cas13a-Based Assay

by Iván L. Calderón, M. José Barros, Nicolás Fernández-Navarro and Lillian G. Acuña

Microorganisms 2024, 12(2), 283; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12020283 - 29 Jan 2024

Viewed by 992

Abstract

Yersinia ruckeri is the cause of hemorrhagic septicemia, known as enteric redmouth disease, in salmonid fish species. This bacterial pathogen can form biofilms on abiotic surfaces of aquaculture settings or even on the surfaces of the fish themselves, contributing to their persistence in the aquatic environment. Detection methods for this and other fish pathogens can be time-consuming and lack specificity and sensitivity, limiting timely monitoring, the treatment of microbial infections, and effective control of their transmission in aquaculture settings. Rapid and sensitive detection methods for nucleic acids can be crucial for an appropriate surveillance of bacterial pathogens, and the CRISPR/Cas-based assays have emerged as a good alternative since it has been proven to be a useful tool for the rapid, specific, and sensitive detection of viruses and some bacteria. In this study, we explored the capability of the CRISPR/Cas13a system (SHERLOCK) to specifically detect both DNA and RNA (gene transcripts) from planktonic and biofilm samples of the bacterial fish pathogen Y. ruckeri. The assay was designed to detect the gyrA gene and the small noncoding RNAs (sRNAs) MicA and RprA from planktonic cultures and biofilm samples prepared in marine broth. The specific crRNA designed for these gene targets included a 28 nt specific gene sequence, and a scaffold sequence necessary for Cas13-binding. For all the assays, the nucleic acids obtained from samples were previously subjected to isothermal amplification with the recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA) method and the subsequent T7 transcription of the RPA amplicons. Finally, the detection of nucleic acids of Y. ruckeri was by means of a reporter signal released by the Cas13a collateral RNA cleavage triggered upon target recognition, measured by fluorescence- or lateral-flow-based readouts. This CRISPR/Cas13a-based assay was able to specifically detect both DNA and sRNAs from the Y. ruckeri samples, and the sensitivity was comparable to that obtained with qPCR analysis, highlighting the potential applicability of this CRISPR/Cas13a-based assay for fish pathogen surveillance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms and Diseases Associated with Aquatic Animals 2.0)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

40 pages, 2035 KiB

Open AccessReview

Expanding the Spectrum of Diseases and Disease Associations Caused by Edwardsiella tarda and Related Species

by J. Michael Janda and Muhammed Duman

Microorganisms 2024, 12(5), 1031; https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms12051031 - 20 May 2024

Viewed by 251

Abstract

The genus Edwardsiella, previously residing in the family Enterobacteriaceae and now a member of the family Hafniaceae, is currently composed of five species, although the taxonomy of this genus is still unsettled. The genus can primarily be divided into two pathogenic groups: E. tarda strains are responsible for almost all human infections, and two other species (E. ictaluri, E. piscicida) cause diseases in fish. Human infections predominate in subtropical habitats of the world and in specific geospatial regions with gastrointestinal disease, bloodborne infections, and wound infections, the most common clinical presentations in decreasing order. Gastroenteritis can present in many different forms and mimic other intestinal disturbances. Chronic gastroenteritis is not uncommon. Septicemia is primarily found in persons with comorbid conditions including malignancies and liver disease. Mortality rates range from 9% to 28%. Most human infections are linked to one of several risk factors associated with freshwater or marine environments such as seafood consumption. In contrast, edwardsiellosis in fish is caused by two other species, in particular E. ictaluri. Both E. ictaluri and E. piscicida can cause massive outbreaks of disease in aquaculture systems worldwide, including enteric septicemia in channel catfish and tilapia. Collectively, these species are increasingly being recognized as important pathogens in clinical and veterinary medicine. This article highlights and provides a current perspective on the taxonomy, microbiology, epidemiology, and pathogenicity of this increasingly important group. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Microorganisms and Diseases Associated with Aquatic Animals 2.0)

► Show Figures