Immunohistochemical evaluation of experimental Vagococcus salmoninarum infection in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss, Walbaum 1792).

The aim of this study was to investigate the pathogenesis and histopathological and immunohistochemical findings in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) following experimental vagococcosis. For this purpose, 60 rainbow trout were used. The experimental study used the pathogen Vagococcus salmoninarum. The fish were intraperitoneally (IP) administered with an inoculate containing 0.1 mL of the bacteria, resulting in a dose of 1.2 × 10(9) cfu mL(-1) per fish. For histopathological observations, tissue samples were taken from fish that died during the experiment and fish that survived until the end of the trial (60th day). All the tissue samples were immunohistochemically stained by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex and immunofluorescence methods using polyclonal antibody to detect V. salmoninarum antigens. In immunoperoxidase staining, positive reactions to bacterial antigens were most commonly seen in the kidney, heart and liver. In the immunofluorescence analysis, the distribution of antigens in the tissue and organs was similar to that observed with the immunoperoxidase staining. The results reveal an important correlation between histochemical and immunohistochemical staining in demonstrating the distribution of V. salmoninarum antigens in the affected tissues.