Oral administration of formalin-inactivated cells of Aeromonas hydrophila A3-51 controls infection by atypical A. salmonicida in goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.).

There has been increasing interest in the use of probiotics in aquaculture to control fish diseases (e.g. Douillet Langdon 1994; Gildberg, Mikkelsen, Sandaker & Ringo 1997; Kennedy, Tucker, Neidic, Vermeer, Cooper, Jarrell & Sennett 1998; DeSchrijver & Ollevier 2000; Robertson, O'Dowd, Burrells, Williams & Austin 2000), and a diverse range of Gram-positive (such as Carnobacterium inhibens) (Robertson et al. 2000) and Gram-negative bacteria, including Vibrio alginolyticus (Garriques & Arevalo 1995), have been evaluated at various times. However, the possible use of probiotics to control diseases of ornamental fish has been neglected. Consequently, following previous success with live (Irianto & Austin 2002) and inactivated probiotics in salmonids (Irianto & Austin, in press), research has focused on the usefulness of inactivated bacterial preparations for the control of atypical Aeromonas salmonicida infections in goldfish, Carassius auratus (L.). Goldfish, of average 40-50 mm in length, were obtained from a commercial farm in England, and maintained in aerated re-circulating dechlorinated fresh water at 17 degrees C. Their health status was examined immediately upon arrival in the aquaria and at 1-2-week periods thereafter (after Austin & Austin 1989).