Comparison of antibody responses in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) to Aeromonas salmonicida and Vibrio anguillarum.

The immune system of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) differ from other bony fish species in that no or only very low increases in antibody levels are detected post-immunization with Vibrio salmonicida or V. anguillarum. Here, we report the results from the first study on comparison of antibody responses in cod to Aeromonas salmonicida and V. anguillarum. A. salmonicida appear to induce a stronger antibody response in cod compared to V. anguillarum, and more individuals immunized with A. salmonicida revealed a response compared to those immunized with V. anguillarum. The antibody responses to both bacterial species were mainly toward LPS, and the results indicate that cod antibodies are able to differentiate between LPS antigens from typical and atypical A. salmonicida strains.