The Opportunistic Pathogen Chryseobacterium balustinum WLT: Pathogenicity and Antibiotic Resistance

This study aimed to re-evaluate the pathogenic characteristics of Chryseobacterium balustinum, generally known as a food spoilage bacterium. We observed mass mortality in a rainbow trout farm in Jeonbuk province, Republic of Korea. Fewer studies have reported on rainbow trout mortality or infections in Korea than in other countries; among these, few studies have reported cases of Chryseobacterium infections. Sequencing analysis revealed that this bacterium is closely related (99.24%) to Chryseobacterium balustinum. Bacterial identification assays, including the API test, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis, found the 24 isolates to be C. balustinum. The strain showed multiple resistance to 18 of 25 antibiotics tested. Primary clinical symptoms of its infection are damage to the fins, necrosis, and cytoplasmic vacuolation in hepatocytes. The pathogenicity of the strain was determined following Koch’s postulates and the challenge test. The present results suggest that C. balustinum WLT can be considered a multidrug-resistant zoonotic pathogen responsible for mortality and economic losses.