Isolation of Yersinia ruckeri from an otter and salmonid fish from adjacent freshwater catchments

YERSINIA ruckeri is the causative agent of enteric redmouth disease in salmonids (Austin and Austin 1987). The bacterium has been recovered from water, sewage sludge (Dudley and others 1980), aquatic invertebrates, farmed and wild fish (Austin and Austin 1987), terrestrial mammals (Stevenson and Daly 1982) and birds (Willumsen 1989). The spread of Y ruckeri among farmed salmonids has been related to carrier fish (Rucker 1966), wild fish (Roberts 1985) and birds (Willumsen 1989). There have, however, been no published reports of Y ruckeri from otters. This short communication reports the isolation of Y ruckeri from a European otter (Lutra lutra), Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) in the same water catchment area and also from char in an adjacent catchment.