How prevalent is mycobacteriosis among Chesapeake Bay stripers?
Studies conducted by VIMS scientists from 1999-2001 showed that mycobacteria could be cultured from the spleens of 76% of striped bass recovered from the Chesapeake Bay (Potomac River to Virginia Beach). Seventy-six percent of these infected fish are positive for M. shottsii. M. shottsii is not only the most common species of mycobacteria in striped bass, but typically occurs at much higher densities than any other mycobacterium in co-infections. This means that anglers are more likely to be exposed to M. shottsii than other mycobacterial species. Whether M. shottsii poses a threat to human health is not yet known (see above). A fall 2002 survey of striped bass health in the York, Rappahannock, Potomac, and Nanticoke rivers indicates that mycobacteriosis is present in the fish. (The survey was coordinated by the USGS and involved scientists from VIMS and Maryland.) However, the degree of its prevalence or severity will not be known until the researchers complete their analyses, a proce
