Cutaneous ulcerative lesions of unknown etiology affecting lionfish Pterois spp. in the Gulf of Mexico.

OBJECTIVE: Cutaneous ulcerative skin lesions in a complex of invasive Gulf of Mexico lionfish (Red Lionfish Pterois volitans, Devil Firefish P. miles, and the hybrid Red Lionfish × Devil Firefish) became epizootic beginning in mid-August 2017. Herein, we provide the first pathological descriptions of these lesions and summarize our analyses to elucidate the etiology of the disease.

METHODS: We examined ulcerated and normal fish through gross pathology and histopathology, bacterial sampling, and unbiased metagenomic next-generation sequencing. We tracked prevalence of the disease, and we used biological health indicators (condition factor, splenosomatic and hepatosomatic index) to evaluate impacts to health, while considering sex and age as potential risk factors.

RESULT: Typical ulcerative lesions were deep, exposing skeletal muscle, and were bordered by pale or reddened areas often with some degree of scale loss. Only incidental parasites were found in our examinations. Most fish (86%; n = 50) exhibited wound healing grossly and histologically, confirmed by the presence of granulation tissues. A primary bacterial pathogen was not evident through bacterial culture or histopathology. Metagenomic next-generation sequencing did not reveal a viral pathogen (DNA or RNA) but did provide information about the microbiome of some ulcerated specimens. Compared with clinically healthy fish, ulcerated fish had a significantly lower condition factor and a higher splenosomatic index. Disease prevalence at monitored sites through July 2021 indicated that ulcerated fish were still present but at substantially lower prevalence than observed in 2017.

CONCLUSION: Although some common findings in a number of specimens suggest a potential role for opportunistic bacteria, collectively our suite of diagnostics and analyses did not reveal an intralesional infectious agent, and we must consider the possibility that there was no communicable pathogen.