M. Keskin et al., PATHWAYS OF BACTERIAL-CONTAMINATION DURING EGG INCUBATION AND LARVAL REARING OF TURBOT, SCOPHTHALMUS-MAXIMUS, Journal of applied ichthyology, 10(1), 1994, pp. 1-9
Overall microbial levels in the water system of a turbot farm were sim
ilar to those found in regular seawater. At the end of an incubation p
eriod, however, the numbers of colony-forming units (CFU) in Artemia c
ultures and turbot egg incubation jars were up to four orders of magni
tude higher than seawater level. Rinsing of the food organisms (rotife
rs) prior to feeding them to turbot larvae, however, significantly red
uced bacterial numbers, thus reducing the number of cross-contaminatio
ns. Several species of Aeromonas, Pseudomonas and Vibrio among others,
were identified in the eggs and larvae, or in the water in which thes
e were incubated. Scanning electron microscopy shows that the surface
of unfertilized turbot eggs is a breeding ground for bacteria; the rem
oval of these eggs from incubation jars is therefore recommended. The
epidermis of turbot larvae was virtually free of microorganisms.