in a Colony of Zebrafish () Used in a Teaching Laboratory.

A small colony of zebrafish () experienced 30% acute mortality within a few days after receipt from a commercial source. A few fish presented with small areas of raised scales or tissue necrosis, primarily near the caudal peduncle. ( was identified by real-time PCR of pooled zebrafish and swabs of the pre-filter and fine filter pads, with subsequent sequence analysis. . is most commonly associated with an enteric septicemia in catfish species and can have significant economic impact on commercial catfish fisheries. However, several references report naturally occurring . infection of nonictalurid fishes, including zebrafish. Ours is the first report demonstrating the use of environmental sampling to identify in a zebrafish colony by real-time PCR. Moreover, our report indicates that . is a relevant disease for institutions using zebrafish as research species and emphasizes the importance of carefully considering importation and quarantine practices.