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The Biology and Molecular Detection of Piscirickettsia Salmonis

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Molecular Diagnosis of Salmonid Diseases

Part of the book series: Reviews: Methods and Technologies in Fish Biology and Fisheries ((REME,volume 3))

Abstract

Piscirickettsia salmonis is an emerging obligate intracellular bacterial pathogen of salmonids (Fryer and Mauel 1997). This Gram-negative pleiomorphic coccoid bacterium replicates within membrane-bound cytoplasmic vacuoles in the cells of infected fish. Because it is an obligate intracellular bacterium, initial identification of the etiological agent of the disease known as piscirickettsiosis (Fryer et al. 1990) was not detected immediately by methods routinely used to isolate bacteria or viruses. Piscirickettsia salmonis does not replicate on bacteriological media, but instead must be grown in cell culture, and therefore escapes detection by routine techniques used for bacterial isolation. Additionally, in vitro P. salmonis is sensitive to many antibiotics used in routine virus isolations (Lannan and Fryer 1991), and will not grow even if inoculated onto suitable host cells if such compounds are included in the culture medium.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and the Center for Salmon Disease Research, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, USA

    Marcia L. House & John L. Fryer

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  1. Marcia L. House
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  2. John L. Fryer
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. FRS Marine Laboratory, Victoria Road, PO Box 101, AB11 9DB, Aberdeen, Scotland

    Carey O. Cunningham

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House, M.L., Fryer, J.L. (2002). The Biology and Molecular Detection of Piscirickettsia Salmonis . In: Cunningham, C.O. (eds) Molecular Diagnosis of Salmonid Diseases. Reviews: Methods and Technologies in Fish Biology and Fisheries, vol 3. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2315-2_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-2315-2_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-90-481-5974-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-017-2315-2

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