Aeromonas salmonicida in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): Occurrence of Specific Agglutinins to Three Bacterial Pathogens

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Abstract
In July 1975 the first confirmed isolation of Aeromonas salmonicida in the Canadian Atlantic region was made from victims of an epizootic among adult Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in the Restigouche River of northeastern New Brunswick. In studies on the sera from spawned Atlantic salmon broodstock from the Restigouche, Miramichi, and Margaree rivers, agglutinins to the ubiquitous A. hydrophila and the kidney disease (K.D.) corynebacterium were found in all three populations sampled; however, agglutinins to Aeromonas salmonicida were found only in salmon from the Restigouche River. When given an intraperitoneal injection of A. salmonicida cells alone or emulsified in Freund's complete adjuvant, a high percentage of Atlantic salmon parr produced antibodies against the immunogen, indicating that as yearlings the entire population was capable of an immune response to A. salmonicida. It is suggested that serological tests can provide a nondestructive means of obtaining presumptive evidence of contact between specific pathogens and individuals of a salmon population. Key words: Aeromonas salmonicida, A. hydrophila, K.D. bacterium, agglutinins, Atlantic salmon

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