Vibrio cholerae, a fatal pathogen shared by human and fish which was first found in cultured bluegill sunfish may cause human death in China

Bluegill sunfish is an important economic fish, which originated in North America. It was introduced to China in 1987 and is now widely cultivated in Guangdong Province. In recent years, a fatal bacterial disease often occurs in cultured bluegill sunfish. The clinical manifestations of the diseased bluegill sunfish were ulceration and hyperemia. A bacterial pathogen was isolated from the viscera of diseased fish. It was identified as Vibrio cholerae by morphological, biochemical and 16S rDNA phylogenetic analysis. The regression infection experiment confirmed that the isolated strains could cause the disease of healthy bluegill sunfish. In this study, Vibrio cholerae was isolated and identified from diseased bluegill sunfish for the first time, and it provides a basis for the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of the disease. At the same time, this study proposed three ways for the transmission of Vibrio cholerae from aquatic animals to human beings, warning that we need to pay attention to the serious harm that the zoonotic bacteria in aquatic animals may cause to human beings, hoping to attract the attention of the whole society, so as to formulate effective countermeasures.