VIMS scientists have discovered that a new species of bacteria is largely responsible for a disease outbreak among Chesapeake Bay striped bass. The new species, which they named Mycobacterium shottsii, is closely related to M. marinum, a species known to infect both fish and humans.

View recent research articles:

• The evolving story of Mycobacterium tuberculosis clade members detected in fish
• Comparative analysis of mycobacterial infections in wild striped bass Morone saxatilis from Chesapeake Bay
• Mycobacterium pseudoshottsii sp. nov., a slowly growing chromogenic species isolated from Chesapeake Bay striped bass (Morone saxatilis)
• Isolation and characterization of mycobacteria from striped bass from the Chesapeake Bay
• A Unique Mycobacterium Species Isolated from an Epizootic of Striped Bass
• Mycobacterium shottsii sp. nov., a slowly growing species isolated from Chesapeake Bay striped bass (pdf format)