A retrospective analysis of archived tissue blocks has revealed that mycobacteriosis was apparent in Chesapeake Bay striped bass as early as 1984. Of 37 cases available from the years 1975 to 1985, 2 fish were found positive based on histopathology and genus-specific PCR. Multi-gene sequencing places the bacteria from the 2 positive cases (1984 and 1985) within the Mycobacterium tuberculosis clade with closest resemblance to the recently described fish pathogen M. pseudoshottsii. Our data confirms that mycobacteriosis is not a new disease of Chesapeake Bay striped bass and underscores the value of archived tissues in epidemiological examinations.
KEY WORDS: Mycobacteriosis · Striped bass · PCR · Paraffin-embedded tissues
Resale or republication not permitted without written consent of the publisherDis Aquat Org 85: [181][182][183][184][185][186] 2009 1985 were from 'service samples,' or those brought to the Oxford Laboratory by other researchers or concerned anglers and watermen for expert opinion on disease status. Tissues were predominantly preserved in formalin-based fixatives during this time period. A total of 37 cases of wild-collected striped bass were included in this retrospective study.Histopathology. Replicate 5 µm sections were taken from archived tissue blocks and stained with hemotoxylin and eosin (H&E) for initial screening. All available sections were examined with light microscopy for the presence of granulomas, inflammatory foci, or necrotic lesions associated with mycobacterial infections. Only obvious parasitic granulomas were excluded from the initial screening. All tissues containing the above pathologies were stained with ZiehlNeelsen for visualization of acid-fast bacilli (AFB) performed at 600× magnification. Samples containing clearly visible acid-fast, non-branching rods were considered histopathology positive (AFB+). Otherwise, samples were categorized as negative.Molecular detection and identification. DNA from positive cases was extracted from paraffin-embedded tissues. Briefly, microtomes were sterilized with 70% ethanol (EtOH) and new, sterile blades were used for sectioning each block. After removal of several sections from the block's surface, 3 serial 5 µm sections were cut, specific tissue sections segregated when possible, captured on a sterile wooden applicator, and transferred directly to sterile 1.5 ml micro-centrifuge tubes. Sections were deparaffinized with xylene and DNA extracted with Qiagen's DNeasy kit according to manufacturer's instructions for paraffin-embedded tissues with modification. Three ethanol (100%) rinses were performed after the use of xylene for paraffin removal, followed by complete evaporation in a vacuum centrifuge for 15 min. Elution from spin filters was performed twice to a total volume of 70 µl. Paraffinembedded splenic tissue from a single fish challenged with Mycobacterium marinum was used as an extraction control.Samples were screened for the presence of mycobacteria using a real-time PCR assay targeting a genus-specific region ...