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OBSERVATIONS ON THE EPIZOOTIOLOGY OF BACTERIAL KIDNEY DISEASE IN FARMED SALMONIDS

Renibacterium salmoninarum is the causative agent of Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD), a leading cause of death among farmed salmonids in British ~olumbia. The pathogen has been shown to be vertically ( e . , from parent to progeny) and horizontally ( i t from fish to fish) transmitted, although the relative importance of each process is unclear. The purpose of this research was to investigate the role of the fecal-oral route of horizontal transmission among farmed salmon held in sea water. Populations of farmed salmon were examined during their growth in sea water for trends in the natural prevalence of R. salmoninarum. All of the salmon populations examined experienced a significant increase in the prevalence of R. salmoninarum over a 12 month period. Horizontal transmission appeared to be responsible for the observed increase in prevalence. Viable R. salmoninarum cells were isolated from seawater samples taken from within a pen of chinook salmon experiencing a BKD epizootic. The feces from these chinook salmon appeared to be the source sea water. Experiments R. salmoninarum were designed to shed into sea of R. salmoninarum in the determine the survival of water in the feces of