Identification and typing of fish pathogenic species of the genus Tenacibaculum

Tenacibaculosis is a major bacterial disease that causes severe fish outbreaks and losses and limits the culture of a variety of commercially valuable anadromous and marine fish species in Europe, America, Asia and Oceania. Fish affected by tenacibaculosis have external lesions and necrosis that affect different areas of the body surface, reducing their commercial value. Several species of Tenacibaculum have been identified as the causal agent of tenacibaculosis in fish, including Tenacibaculum maritimum, Tenacibaculum soleae, Tenacibaculum discolor, Tenacibaculum gallaicum, Tenacibaculum dicentrarchi and “Tenacibaculum finnmarkense” (quotations marks denote species that have not been validly published). Diagnosis of tenacibaculosis is usually based on culture-dependent detection and identification techniques which are time-consuming and do not allow to differentiate closely related species. The development of reliable techniques for studying the relationships between members of the genus Tenacibaculum and for distinguishing fish-pathogenic species of Tenacibaculum genus is, therefore, a key step in understanding the diversity and incidence of tenacibaculosis in global aquaculture, designing effective prevention strategies and early implementation of infection control measures. In this review, recent advances in molecular, serological, proteomic and chemotaxonomic techniques developed for the identification and differentiation of Tenacibaculum species, as well as for the analysis of their genetic and epidemiological relationships are discussed. Key features of current diagnostic methods likely to facilitate control and prevention of tenacibaculosis and to avoid the spread of its aetiological agents are also outlined.