Volume 65
Presence of fungi and bacteria in the eye of Pterois volitans (Scorpaeniformes, Scorpaenidae) in Puerto Rico
Authors
Negron-Ruiz, G., O. Perez-Laguillo, J. Melendez-Diaz, and C-R. Valentin Download PDF Open PDF in BrowserOther Information
Date: November, 2012
Pages: 518
Event: Proceedings of the Sixty-Fifth Annual Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute
City: Santa Marta
Country: Colombia
Abstract
The lionfish of the Indo-Pacific, Pterois volitans, an invasive species threatening the marine life in Puerto Rico, was first introduced into the Atlantic Ocean in the early 1990s. Not much is known about this invasive species; however, a cloudy eye appearance has been recently detected in the lionfish leading to vision loss. The aim of this study is to identify the microbial flora found in affected and healthy eyes of the lionfish as potential infectious agents. Samples will be collected at different zones of Puerto Rico. Forty-eight eye samples will be processed and inoculated in PDA-A, RBA and NA. A total of 10 fungal colonies were obtained, and the following genera were identified: Aurebosidium pullulans, Cladosporium spp. y Paecilomyces spp. A total of 40 bacterial colonies were isolated; gram-negative bacteria being the most frequent. The Pseudomona spp. genus dominated.