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

Bacterial diseases such as vibriosis, atypical furunculosis and francisellosis, are registered as an increasing problem in cod farming in Norway. In order to develop efficient vaccines against diseases it is of interest to investigate if the cod immune system differentiates between various serotypes of Vibrio anguillarum and variants of Aeromonas salmonicida associated with the diseases by raising specific antibody responses. Cod of the same origin were shown to raise significant responses to V. anguillarum, A. salmonicida and the intracellular bacteria Francisella sp. Individual responses to V. anguillarum or A. salmonicida varied from none to high responses, while all individuals immunised with Francisella revealed a significant response. The cod immune system appeared in some degree to distinguish between V. anguillarum serotypes and A. salmonicida variants. Although all bacteria had induced significant antibody responses detectable in whole cell ELISA, only some had induced antibodies with specificity to linear O-polysaccharide epitopes on blot.