Development of a PCR method for the specific identification of the marine fish pathogen Tenacibaculum soleae

This work describes a new polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay for the accurate and fast identification of the fish pathogen Tenacibaculum soleae. The selected primers amplified a 248 bp fragment of the T. soleae 16S rRNA gene. The PCR system was specific and very sensitive with a detection limit of approximately 1 to 10 bacterial cells per reaction when pure cultures of T. soleae are used. The PCR approach described in this paper allowed detection of the pathogen in mixed plate cultures obtained from diseased fish affected by tenacibaculosis, in which growth of this bacterium cannot always be visualized. Our results indicated that the specific primers and PCR method designed provide sensitive and fast diagnosis of the tenacibaculosis caused by the fish pathogen T. soleae.