Mycobacteriosis

VIMS scientists have discovered that a new species of bacteria is largely responsible for a disease outbreak among Chesapeake Bay striped bass. The new species, which they named Mycobacterium shottsii, is closely related to M. marinum, a species known to infect both fish and humans.

View recent research articles:

• The evolving story of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clade members detected in fish
• Comparative analysis of mycobacterial infections in wild striped bass Morone saxatilis from Chesapeake Bay
• Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii sp. nov., a slowly growing chromogenic species isolated from Chesapeake Bay striped bass (Morone saxatilis)
• Isolation and characterization of mycobacteria from striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay
• A Unique Mycobacterium Species Isolated from an Epizootic of Striped Bass
• Mycobacterium shottsii sp. nov., a slowly growing species isolated from Chesapeake Bay striped bass (pdf format)

VIMS researchers are working to understand the extent and severity of mycobacteriosis in Chesapeake Bay striped bass, the environmental conditions in the Bay that influence development of the disease, and potential impacts on striped bass stocks. The VIMS effort is part of a larger cooperative study with investigators from the Fish Health Branch of the U.S. Geological Survey's Leetown Science Center in West Virginia, the Virginia Marine Resource Commission, and from institutions and agencies in Maryland.

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