First episode of vibriosis in wild specimens of Pagellus bogaraveo (Brunnich, 1768) in the Mediterranean Sea

The blackspot seabream Pagellus bogaraveo (Brunnich, 1768) is a carnivorous fish species and is a promising candidate for the diversification of European aquaculture thanks to the high commercial value and its adaptability to intensive farming. In this paper the authors reported the first case of vibriosis in Pagellus bogaraveo wild specimens. 36 wild blackspot sea bream caught in Sicily, were transported and placed into the tanks of the Experimental Aquaculture Plant of the Institute for Coastal Marine Environment (IAMC-CNR) of Messina. Two days after the capture fish presented external hemorrhages and skin ulcers reaching 69% of cumulative mortality. Some specimens were sacrificed, previous euthanasia, for the histological, bacteriological and molecular assays. Results showed that the disease was a Vibriosis caused by Vibrio anguillarum and the histopathological examination revealed severe damages of the liver, kidney and spleen.