New marine vibrio bacteria can kill fish

EDINBURGH, Scotland, Aug. 11 (UPI) -- About half of new marine vibrio bacteria discovered in the last five years can kill fish and crustacea, say Scottish researchers.

Researchers as Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, say the most common disease of vibrios is cholera, which has caused millions of cases of illness and fatality in humans. Recent interest in this genus of bacteria has led to the discovery of many new species, especially from seawater and marine animals.

New species have been found in a wide range of marine environments, including corals, sediments and rotifers. For example, Vibrio coralliilyticus has recently been described as a new cause of disease in coral.

"Having observed this, the question arose about whether any of these new species could have implications to the health of marine animals," said study leader Brian Austin. "The answer was that around half of the new species killed fish in laboratory conditions. Our research shows that marine vibrios could cause disease to fish and crustaceans."

The findings are published in the journal Environmental Microbiology.