Bacterial
🟠 Severe
✓ Treatable
Tenacibaculosis
🦠 Tenacibaculum maritimum (formerly Flexibacter maritimus) · Flavobacteriaceae
📋 Definition
A marine bacterial disease causing extensive superficial ulcerative lesions on the skin, fins, and mouth of marine fish.
📊 Key Facts
Causative Agent
Tenacibaculum maritimum (formerly Flexibacter maritimus)
Agent Family
Flavobacteriaceae
Geographic Range
Worldwide in marine aquaculture
Transmission Routes
Water-borne, surface injuries
Primary Host
Turbot, Sea Bass, Sole, Atlantic Salmon (marine)
Vaccine
✗ None / Experimental
🩺 Clinical Signs
Extensive superficial skin erosions and ulcers, especially around mouth ("mouth rot"), fin erosion, loss of scales, tissue necrosis.
🔬 Symptoms
🔬
Oral erosion (mouth rot)
Digestive Acute
🔬
Extensive skin ulceration
Integumentary Acute
🔬
Fin erosion
Integumentary Subacute
🧪 Diagnosis
Wet mount (long gliding rods), culture on Anacker and Ordal medium, PCR.
💊 Treatment
Florfenicol, potassium permanganate baths, oxytetracycline.
🛡️ Prevention
ℹ️ Prevention is the most effective strategy for managing this disease in aquaculture and aquarium settings.
Avoid skin damage during handling, maintain good water quality.