Draft genome sequence of Nocardia seriolae N-2927. Nocardia seriolae N-2927

The occurrence of nocardiosis in marine fish was first reported in 1967 in yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata and amberjack S. dumerili cultured in Owase that is located in southeastern part of Kii Peninsula in Japan. The causative agent was identified as a previously unknown bacterium, and subsequently was named Nocardia seriolae. Currently, nocardiosis caused by N. seriolae is a major disease in cultured yellowtails, the production of which accounts for nearly 60% of total marine aquaculture production in Japan. N. seriolae strain N-2927 was isolated in 2007 from the spleen of yellowtail suffering from nocardiosis in Sukumo in Kochi Prefecture that covers half of southern part of Shikoku Island in West Japan. This strain is a highly virulent strain with an 100% mortality in yellowtail, but on the other hand, the virulence factors are unknown. We analyze the whole genome sequence of N. seriolae strain N-2927. The draft genome sequence is annotated and compared to the complete sequences of different Nocardia species such as N. farcinica for identification of potential virulence factors of strain N-2927.