Kuma Bamboo Grass (Sasa veitchii) Extracts Exhibit Protective Effects Against Atypical Aeromonas salmonicida Infection in Goldfish (Carassius auratus).

Atypical Aeromonas salmonicida ( i.e. subsp. achromogenes and subsp. masoucida) are one of the major opportunistic pathogens that cause ulcer diseases in a variety of fishes, in which this pathogen has become a worldwide economic threat in sectors that handle of particular high-priced ornamental fishes like varicolored carp and goldfish due to appearance damages. Here we reported that the kuma bamboo grass (Sasa veitchii) extracts (KBGE) that contained a variety of fatty acids, exhibited antibacterial activity against nine Aeromonas strains including 5 atypical A. salmonicida strains. Experimental challenges with four atypical A. salmonicida strains revealed that supplementation with 375 to 750 μg/ml of the KBGE restored the survival of goldfish in coincidence of inhibition of both bacterial replication and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity upon infection, compared with those of untreated control. Together, our data demonstrating the antibacterial effects of the plant extracts proposes its possible implication for prevention of Aeromonas infection in the ornamental fish.