Disentangling the link between zebrafish diet, gut microbiome succession, and Mycobacterium chelonae infection

Despite the long-established importance of zebrafish (Danio rerio) as a model organism and their increasing use in microbiome-targeted studies, relatively little is known about how husbandry practices involving diet impact the zebrafish gut microbiome. Given the microbiome's important role in mediating host physiology and the potential for diet to drive variation in microbiome composition, we sought to clarify how three different dietary formulations that are commonly used in zebrafish facilities impact the gut microbiome. We compared the composition of gut microbiomes in approximately 60 AB line adult (129- and 214-day-old) zebrafish fed each diet throughout their lifespan.

Our analysis finds that diet has a substantial impact on the composition of the gut microbiome in adult fish, and that diet also impacts the developmental variation in the gut microbiome. We further evaluated how 214-day-old fish microbiome compositions respond to exposure of a common laboratory pathogen, Mycobacterium chelonae, and whether these responses differ as a function of diet. Our analysis finds that diet determines the manner in which the zebrafish gut microbiome responds to M. chelonae exposure, especially for moderate and low abundance taxa. Moreover, histopathological analysis finds that male fish fed different diets are differentially infected by M. chelonae.

Overall, our results indicate that diet drives the successional development of the gut microbiome as well as its sensitivity to exogenous exposure. Consequently, investigators should carefully consider the role of diet in their microbiome zebrafish investigations, especially when integrating results across studies that vary by diet.