Atypical growth of Renibacterium salmoninarum in subclinical infections

Two growth types of Renibacterium salmoninarum were isolated from subclinically infected rainbow trout, one producing the smooth colonies typical of R. salmoninarum and the other forming a thin film on the surface of the agar with no separate colonies. The atypical growth was present on kidney disease medium agar in primary cultures of the kidney but not on selective kidney disease medium (SKDM). Fluorescent antibody staining of the fresh isolate and polymerase chain reaction amplification were the most reliable techniques to identify the atypical growth of R. salmoninarum. The condition was reversible, with growth reverting from atypical to the smooth colony form in experimentally infected rainbow trout and under laboratory conditions. There was no mortality, or any clinical signs of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) in the fish challenged with the atypical growth, although small numbers of smooth colonies of R. salmoninarum were isolated from 8% of these fish. The atypical growth reported here may explain some of the failures of culture, when SKDM agar alone is used for the detection of BKD in subclinically infected fish.