Vibrio campbellii

  • Fish and crustacean pathogen

Overview

Vibrio campbellii is a Gram-negative marine bacterium that serves as a major pathogen in aquaculture systems worldwide, causing luminescent vibriosis in fish, shrimp, mollusks, and other marine invertebrates. This bioluminescent pathogen is responsible for significant mortality events in commercial aquaculture operations and has emerged as one of the most economically important bacterial diseases affecting marine farming. V. campbellii infections are characterized by tissue necrosis, septicemia, and distinctive luminescence in affected organisms, making it a serious concern for both commercial aquaculture and marine aquarium systems.

Affected species (hosts)

Primary Aquaculture Hosts:

  • Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) – highly susceptible to luminous vibriosis
  • Black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) – frequent mortality events
  • Giant freshwater prawn (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) larvae
  • Various marine fish species in aquaculture
  • Mollusks including oysters and mussels

Laboratory and Research Hosts:

  • Artemia (brine shrimp) – commonly used model organism
  • Zebrafish larvae – research model for pathogenesis studies

Marine Aquarium Relevance:

  • Can affect invertebrates in reef tanks, particularly crustaceans
  • May impact marine fish in closed aquarium systems
  • Potential concern for breeding operations of marine ornamentals

Virulence Factors and Host Stress Interactions

Quorum Sensing and Bioluminescence: V. campbellii uses sophisticated quorum sensing systems to coordinate virulence factor expression and bioluminescence production. The characteristic blue-green luminescence serves as both a diagnostic feature and indicates active bacterial communication that enhances pathogenicity.

Stress Hormone Enhancement: Research has shown that host stress hormones, particularly catecholamines like norepinephrine and dopamine, significantly increase V. campbellii virulence. Stressed animals become more susceptible to infection, creating a cycle where environmental stressors enhance bacterial pathogenicity.

Biofilm Formation: The pathogen forms robust biofilms that protect it from host immune responses and environmental stresses. These biofilms can establish on tank surfaces and equipment, serving as reservoirs for continued infection.

Motility and Chemotaxis: V. campbellii exhibits enhanced motility in response to host-derived signals, allowing it to actively seek out and colonize vulnerable host tissues. This directed movement is particularly important during the initial stages of infection.

Hemolytic Activity: The bacterium produces hemolysins that damage host cell membranes, contributing to tissue necrosis and facilitating bacterial invasion and nutrient acquisition from host tissues.

Management and Prevention Strategies

Prevention. Quarantine new fish for 2-4 weeks minimum, with separate filtration for quarantine systems.  

Testing. Test new arrivals in the QT to make sure they’re pathogen-free before introducing them to your display. 

If you must use antibiotics: Most Vibrio species are susceptible to Ciprofloxacin. Also consider Oxalinic Acid. 

But first see this note about the use of antibiotics in aquariums! 

V. campbellii in reef tanks

Prevalence

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Looking at how common this pathogen is in other tanks can help you gauge whether finding it in your tank is expected or unusual.

Abundance Distribution

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Comparing the levels of this pathogen in your tank with those found in other tanks provides a context for interpreting your test results.

References

Defoirdt, T., et al. (2007). The bacterial storage compound poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate protects Artemia franciscana from pathogenic Vibrio campbellii. Environmental Microbiology, 9(2), 445-452. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1462-2920.2006.01161.x

Pande, G., et al. (2014). The catecholamine stress hormones norepinephrine and dopamine increase the virulence of pathogenic Vibrio anguillarum and Vibrio campbellii. FEMS Microbiology Ecology, 90(3), 761-769. https://doi.org/10.1111/1574-6941.12432

Martín-Rodríguez, A., et al. (2018). The 9H-Fluoren Vinyl Ether Derivative SAM461 Inhibits Bacterial Luciferase Activity and Protects Artemia franciscana From Luminescent Vibriosis. Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, 8, 368. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2018.00368

Lomeli-Ortega, C., et al. (2021). Characterization and complete genome sequence of bacteriophage vB_Vc_SrVc2, a marine phage that infects Vibrio campbellii. Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-779229/v1

Kiran, S., et al. (2016). Degradation intermediates of polyhydroxy butyrate inhibits phenotypic expression of virulence factors and biofilm formation in luminescent Vibrio sp. PUGSK8. NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes, 2, 16002. https://doi.org/10.1038/npjbiofilms.2016.2

Austin, B., & Austin, D.A. (2016). Bacterial Fish Pathogens: Disease of Farmed and Wild Fish, 6th Edition. Springer International Publishing.

Thompson, F.L., et al. (2004). Phylogeny and molecular identification of vibrios on the basis of multilocus sequence analysis. Applied and Environmental Microbiology, 70(9), 5107-5115. https://doi.org/10.1128/aem.70.9.5107-5115.2004

Farmer, J.J., & Hickman-Brenner, F.W. (2006). The Genera Vibrio and Photobacterium. Prokaryotes, 6, 508-563. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30746-x_21