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Association between melanin deposits in gill tissue and microbiome across different hatchery reared Atlantic salmon
Petra R Quezada-Rodriguez1,2, Richard S Taylor1, Khattapan Jantawongsri2
1Livestock and Aquaculture, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Agriculture and Food, Hobart, Tasmania 7004, Australia.
Aims:
To investigate the relationship between microbial community profiles and gill pathology during a production cycle of Atlantic salmon in two commercial hatcheries.
Methods And Results:
Relationships between gill histology, environmental conditions, and microbiome were determined using high-throughput data, including 16S rDNA amplicon sequencing data, histopathology data, and water quality parameters. Hatchery A used riverine water and operated a mixed system of recirculation aquaculture system (RAS) and flowthrough. Hatchery B was used bore water and operated a RAS. Melanin deposits, hyperplastic, and inflammatory lesions were observed histologically in the gills. A higher prevalence of melanin deposits was detected and correlated to a change in beta diversity of bacterial communities in early time points (fingerling and parr stages). High abundance of Sphaerotilus sp.,Pseudomonas sp.,Nitrospira sp.,Exiguobacterium sp.,Deinococcus sp.,and Comamonas sp. was correlated with a high prevalence of melanin in filaments. Bacterial diversity increased as the fish cohort transitioned from RAS to flowthrough in hatchery A.
Conclusions:
Under commercial conditions, the commensal community of gill bacteria was related to melanin prevalence.
