Bacteria from Fish and Other Aquatic

While aquatic animal diseases have been a concern for centuries, a profusion of marine and freshwater aquaculture and environmental concerns across the globe in the last 75 years has prompted increased interest in these diseases, particularly those caused by bacteria. As aquaculture continues to become more intensive and expands into new frontiers, fish health problems are likely to become more significant. No group of marine or freshwater animals, including mammals, fish, birds, molluscs, shellfish, reptiles and amphibians, have escaped the effects of bacterial diseases. Hundreds of bacterial species can be either pathogenic to wild and cultured aquatic animals or pose a potential disease threat under favourable conditions. Furthermore, the costs incurred by governments, private aquaculture and the public, due to bacterial-related diseases and attempts to control them, totals millions of dollars annually as a result of lost aquatic resources. In order to successfully cope with these disease-producing microbes in a cost-effective manner, prompt and accurate identification is essential.