Vibrio harveyi infection in Arabian Surgeon fish (Acanthurus sohal) of Red Sea at Hurghada, Egypt

Vibrio harveyi causes vibriosis to marine ornamental Arabian surgeon fish (Acanthurus sohal) the disease appeared and spread rapidly in fish in the indoor aquarium of the National Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries (NIOF) in Hurghada (Egypt). The pathogen was isolated from skin ulcers in head and body, and internal organs of randomly collected samples of diseased fish using tryptic soy agar and thio-sulfate citrate bile salt sucrose agar plates. Lethargic, off food, hemorrhagic skin ulcers in head and body varies between superficial and deep skin depigmentation, hemorrhagic spots and fin rot were the main clinical signs appeared on the naturally infected fish. All isolates of the bacterium constituted a homogeneous phenotypic group and were identified by morphological characterization, biochemical tests and API20E as V. harveyi. The isolated strain was sensitive to ciprofloxacin, streptomycin, chloramphenicol and kanamycin.