Occurrence of Photobacterium damselae Subsp Piscicida in Sea-Cage Farmed Meagre (Argyrosomus regius) in Tenerife, Canary Islands, Spain

During 2008, the bacterium Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida was identified in meagre (Argyrosomus regius) culture during three disease outbreaks which occurred in Tenerife, Canary Islands, with mortalities reaching 50%. Typical disease signs were observed, including the characteristic spleen nodules, and bacterial identity was confirmed by biochemical and serological tests. This is the first reported isolation of Photobacterium damselae subspecies piscicida associated with mortalities in meagre.