Flavobacterium columnare is a long Gram-negative rod in the family Flavobacteriaceae, one of the main phyletic lines within the Bacteroidetes group from the domain Bacteria. Several species in Flavobacteriaceae cause disease in fish. F. columnare is the causative agent of columnaris disease, which exists both in fresh and brackish water throughout the world. Outbreaks may result in high mortality, especially during spring and autumn, and are most likely associated with poor environmental conditions causing stress. Stressful conditions are common in commercial aquaculture where production is kept at maximum levels. Columnaris disease generally begins as an external infection on the skin, fins, gills, or oral cavity. On the skin and fins, lesions are characterized by dull, grayish-white or yellow erosive lesions that can progress to deep ulcers in the underlying muscle. External infection often is concurrent with systemic infection and subacute mortalities. In some cases, systemic infection with little or no visible external or internal pathological signs may occur. F. columnare infections can be chronic, but more often, the disease appears suddenly and causes mortalities within a few days (Dumpala et al., 2010).
II. Vaccine Information
1. Flavobacterium Columnare Avirulent Live Culture Vaccine (USDA: 17F1.00)
1. Dumpala et al., 2010: Dumpala PR, Gülsoy N, Lawrence ML, Karsi A. Proteomic analysis of the fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare. Proteome science. 2010; 8; 26. [PubMed: 20525376].
