<i>Flavobacterium covae</i> is the predominant species of columnaris-causing bacteria impacting the Channel Catfish industry in the southeastern United States

Abstract

Collectively, these results demonstrate that F. covae is the predominant CCB in the U.S. catfish industry, and research aimed at developing new control and prevention strategies should target this bacterial species. The methods described herein can be used to continue monitoring the prevalence of CCB in the catfish industry and can be easily applied to other industries to identify which Flavobacterium species have the greatest impact.