Isolation, identification, and histopathological analysis of Vibrio tubiashii from lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus

The lined seahorse Hippocampus erectus is an economically important aquaculture species; however, the low survival rate of juvenile seahorses severely restricts their large-scale cultivation. According to previous research, dead juvenile seahorses (4-6 cm) showed symptoms of suspected enteritis, including abdominal depression, raised cloaca, partial hepatic congestion, and yellow sticky liquid filling the intestine. Here, we isolated a Gram-negative bacterium from diseased juvenile seahorses and tentatively named the strain HEL-5. Healthy juvenile seahorses were then challenged with the strain through intraperitoneal injection, with results confirming that HEL-5 was pathogenic for seahorses at a median lethal dose of 5.81 × 105 CFU g-1 fish weight. Based on morphological observations, biochemical characteristics, and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA and housekeeping genes (gyrB, ftsZ, and gapA), we identified HEL-5 as Vibrio tubiashii. Histopathological observations revealed that V. tubiashii was capable of causing lytic necrosis of hepatocytes and forming obvious necrotic foci, and renal pathology was characterized by tubular collapse and tubular epithelial-cell shedding into the lumen accompanied by a large number of inflammatory cells infiltrating the tissues of the intestines and kidneys. Antimicrobial-susceptibility testing showed that the strain was highly sensitive to macrolides, chloramphenicol, sulfonamides, aminoglycosides, and cephalosporins. These findings represent the first report of isolation of V. tubiashii from diseased juvenile seahorses and provide a foundation for the prevention and treatment of vibrio disease in seahorse aquaculture.