Phage therapy against β-hemolytic streptococcicosis of Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus

We examined the therapeutic effect of Streptococcus iniae phages isolated from fish culture environments against experimental streptococcicosis of Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus. Phage sensitivity tests with a double agar method revealed that 31 of 35 S. iniae strains from the flounder have a similar sensitivity to six phage isolates. In phage therapy experiments, fish were injected intraperitoneally (IP) with S. iniae PSi402 and 1 h later IP-injected with a mixture of two or four phage isolates, and observed at 25 degrees C for 2 wk. Mortalities of fish receiving phages were significantly lower than those of control fish without phage-treatment in all four trials. The effect of phage treatment was also demonstrated even at 24 h post-infection, when cell numbers of S. iniae were 10(7.4) and 10(4.5) CFU/g in the kidneys and brains of fish, respectively. However, as phage-resistant S. iniae were frequently isolated from dead fish in the phage-treated group, further investigations are required to establish phage therapy of the disease.