Interactions of virulent and avirulent Yersinia ruckeri strains with isolated gill arches and intestinal explants of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss.

Yersinia ruckeri is the causative agent of enteric redmouth disease leading to significant losses in salmonid aquaculture worldwide. Little information is available on the pathogenesis of this disease. Basic steps in the establishment of an infection include attachment to the epithelium followed by invasion at the portal of entry. In this study, the interactions of Y. ruckeri with the gills and the gut of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum, 1792) were studied using standardized perfusion models. Virulent and avirulent Y ruckeri isolates appeared to adhere to and invade both tissues without significant differences. For the first time, the gill and gut perfusion models are shown to be suitable to study bacterial invasiveness.