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Postlarval Shrimp-Associated Microbiota and Underlying Ecological Processes over AHPND Progression
Zhongjiang Zhou1,2, Jiaqi Lu1,2, Pingping Zhan2
1State Key Laboratory for the Quality and Safety of Agro-Products, School of Marine Sciences, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
Microorganisms
|April 26, 2025
Summary
Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) significantly alters shrimp postlarval gut microbiota, impacting shrimp health and survival. Understanding these microbial shifts is crucial for managing AHPND outbreaks in aquaculture.
Area of Science:
- Aquaculture
- Microbiology
- Animal Health
Background:
- Postlarval shrimp are vulnerable to acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND).
- The impact of AHPND on the microbiota of shrimp postlarvae is not well understood compared to later life stages.
- Distinct abiotic and biotic factors influence AHPND in different shrimp life stages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To comparatively analyze the microbiota associated with shrimp postlarvae during AHPND progression.
- To investigate the ecological processes that drive changes in the shrimp microbiota during AHPND infection.
- To identify microbial biomarkers for early detection of AHPND in shrimp postlarvae.
Main Methods:
- Sequencing of the bacterial V3-V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene.
- Validation of AHPND infection by detecting high copies of *pirAB* genes (Toxin 1).
- Comparative analysis of microbial community structures and ecological processes between healthy and AHPND-infected shrimp postlarvae.
Main Results:
- AHPND significantly altered the shrimp postlarvae-associated microbiota structure.
- Bacilli and Bdellovibrionia species were enriched in healthy larvae compared to infected ones; gut microbiota recovery was observed at late stages.
- AHPND infection explained 11.0% of variance in community structures; shrimp age also significantly influenced bacterial communities (7.1% variance).
- AHPND-infected shrimp showed reduced homogeneous selection and increased dispersal limitation/drift.
- 13 AHPND-discriminatory taxa were identified, accurately distinguishing infected from healthy shrimp with 100% precision.
- AHPND outbreaks weakened microbial network complexity and stability.
Conclusions:
- AHPND profoundly impacts shrimp postlarval microbiota composition and ecological dynamics.
- Microbiota alterations are linked to shrimp health, survival, and disease progression.
- Specific microbial taxa can serve as reliable indicators for AHPND detection in shrimp postlarvae.
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