[Causative agent of the so-called "light disease of shrimps" is luminescent Vibrio cholerae non-O1].

A number of luminous fresh-water shrimps were found in a fish preserve in Lake Biwa, Shiga Prefecture, in the middle of July, 1994, and most of them died within several hours after collection (the so-called "light disease of shrimp"). Four luminous organisms were isolated from a dead shrimp. Although the phenotypic properties of these strains were similar to those of V. cholerae or V. mimicus, a representative strain, 838-94, was shown to have a high level (79%) of DNA homology with V. cholerae type strain, ATCC 14035 and a low level (45%) of relatedness to V. mimicus type strain, ATCC 33653. Therefore, these isolates were identified as V. cholerae. The four strains fell into serogroup O28 of V. cholerae. On the other hand, none of the isolates had CT nor NAG-ST genes. The results obtained herein clearly demonstrate that these organisms isolated from luminous shrimps are luminescent V. cholerae serogroup O28.