Stenotrophomonas maltophilia: an Emerging Pathogen of Ascites Disease in Farmed Yellow Catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco

Ascites disease causes significant economic losses in yellow catfish Pelteobagrus fulvidraco. Yet only scare information is reported on Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as a pathogen for yellow catfish. In this study, a virulent strain, temporarily named WY1, was isolated from diseased yellow catfish fry suffering from ascites disease, identified phenotypically and molecularly as S. maltophilia. A phylogenetic tree was constructed to examine isolate WY1 and compare it to other known isolates. In addition, isolate WY1 is apparently susceptible to aminoglycosides and tetracycline drugs for veterinary uses in aquaculture as revealed when screened against a range of common antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of S. maltophilia as a pathogen of ascites disease in farmed yellow catfish.