Epidemiological surveillance of bacterial pathogens in cultured European sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax ) along the Aegean coast of Türkiye
A retrospective surveillance program (2020–2025) of cultured European sea bass along Türkiye’s Aegean coast aggregated diagnostic data from 19 offshore commercial farms across three macro-regional zones, covering 748 cage-level outbreaks and necropsy of 5,235 clinically affected fish. Phenotypic profiling (API 20E) and organ touch‑imprint cytology yielded 2,490 bacterial isolates across six species, with Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida and Tenacibaculum maritimum identified as the primary etiological agents (about 48.8% and 35.8% of outbreaks, respectively) while several Vibrio species occurred at substantially lower rates.
Why this is good news
Identifying Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida and Tenacibaculum maritimum as the main agents (about 48.8% and 35.8% of outbreaks) indicates where diagnostic and management attention can be concentrated for the 19 offshore commercial farms studied. The surveillance dataset (748 outbreaks, 5,235 necropsies, 2,490 isolates) provides an empirical basis to focus laboratory testing and risk monitoring in the three macro-regional zones along Türkiye’s Aegean coast.
What happens next
What additional evidence or surveillance would be needed to evaluate and validate targeted diagnostic or management responses to Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida and Tenacibaculum maritimum across the three macro-regional zones?
