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Edwardsiella Note for Pet Owners:
This information is provided by
Provet for educational purposes only.
You should seek the advice of
your veterinarian if your pet is ill as only he or she can correctly advise
on the diagnosis and recommend the treatment that is most appropriate for
your pet.
Edwardsiella
is a zoonosis associated with gastrointestinal disease and wound
infections in humans. It can infect fish, amphibians, reptiles and
mammals.
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Description
Edwardsiellosis is caused by a bacterium called Edwardsiella. In humans it has
been associated with gastroenteritis and wound infections. It causes
septicaemia in fish, eels and flounder (fish gangrene or red disease and
emphysematous putrefactive disease of catfish)
Cause
The cause is a small, motile, flagellated, rod-shaped facultative anaerobic, gram
negative bacterium that is a member of the Enterobacteriaceae family. Species
include:
E. hoshinae, animals and humans,
E. ictaluri, nonmotile species in catfish.
E. tarda, (Edwardsiella anguillimortifera) in aquatic animals and reptiles including snakes and seals.. Occasionally found in urine, blood, and faeces of humans. In India found in children with diarrhoea.
Occurrence
It has a worldwide distribution and transmission to humans is via contact with
infected faeces,usually from marine animals. It has been found in fish, birds,
reptiles and mammals.
Signs
Infected animals may be asymptomatic but the disease is potentially fatal if left untreated. In humans it has been associated with gastroenteritis, wound infections, peritonitis and meningitis and has been reported as a cause of diarrhoea in children in India. .
Fish that die are usually pale with widespread haemorrhages and abscesses. Other signs may include oedema, ascites, skin erosions, gill inflammation, behavioural changes, prolapse of the rectum, eye lesions and generalised organomegaly.
Complications
Potentially fatal
Diagnosis
Diagnosis is based on the history, clinical signs, post-mortem findings. and
identification of the organism by culture on
specific growth mediums such
as brain–heart infusion agar, indirect
fluorescent antibody testing, ELISA and loop-mediated
isothermal amplification (LAMP)
Treatment
Antibiotics are the treatment of choice for infected animals and all species are susceptible to tetracyclines, aminoglycosides, most β-lactams, quinolones, antifolates, chloramphenicol, nitrofurantoin, and fosfomycin. (Stock 2001)
There are vaccinations available to prevent the disease in fish. Other preventive measures include low stocking densities,good water quality and avoidance of stress such as changes in water temperature, pH or oxygen concentrations .
Prognosis
If untreated infections with Edwardsiella can prove fatal
References
Stock I and Wiedermann B. (2001) Natural antibiotic susceptibilities of Edwardsiella tarda, E.ictaluri and E.hoshinae Antimicrob Agents Chemother. Aug 2001; 45(8): 2245–2255.
Updated January 2016