Detection and quantification of Flavobacterium psychrophilum-specific bacteriophages in vivo in rainbow trout upon oral administration: implications for disease control in aquaculture.

The use of bacteriophages in the treatment and prevention of infections by the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum has attracted increased attention in recent years. It has been shown recently that phage delivery via the parenteral route resulted in immediate distribution of phages to the circulatory system and the different organs. However, little is known about phage dispersal and survival in vivo in rainbow trout after delivery via the oral route. Here we examined the dispersal and survival of F. psychrophilum phage FpV-9 in vivo in juvenile rainbow trout after administration by three different methods-bath, oral intubation into the stomach, and phage-coated feed-with special emphasis on the oral route of delivery. Phages could be detected in all the organs investigated (intestine, spleen, brain, and kidney) 0.5 h postadministration, reaching concentrations as high as ∼10(5) PFU mg intestine(-1) and ∼10(3) PFU mg spleen(-1) within the first 24 h following the bath and ∼10(7) PFU mg intestine(-1) and ∼10(4) PFU mg spleen(-1) within the first 24 h following oral intubation. The phages were most persistent in the organs for the first 24 h and then decreased exponentially; no phages were detected after 83 h in the organs investigated. Phage administration via feed resulted in the detection of phages in the intestine, spleen, and kidney 1 h after feeding. Average concentrations of ∼10(4) PFU mg intestine(-1) and ∼10(1) PFU mg spleen(-1) were found throughout the experimental period (200 h) following continuous delivery of phages with feed. These experiments clearly demonstrate the ability of the phages to survive passage through the fish stomach and to penetrate the intestinal barrier and enter the circulatory system after oral delivery, although the quantity of phages found in the spleen was 100- to 1,000-fold lower than that in the intestine. It was also shown that phages could tolerate long periods of desiccation on the feed pellets, with 60% survival after storage at -80°C, and 10% survival after storage at 5°C, for ∼8 months. Continuous delivery of phages via coated feed pellets constitutes a promising method of treatment and especially prevention of rainbow trout fry syndrome.

Viral lysis of Phaeocystis pouchetii: implications for algal population dynamics and heterotrophic C, N and P cycling.

A model ecosystem with two autotrophic flagellates, Phaeocystis pouchetii and Rhodomonas salina, a virus specific to P. pouchetii (PpV) and bacteria and heterotrophic nanoflagellates was used to investigate effects of viral lysis on algal population dynamics and heterotrophic nitrogen and phosphorus mineralization. Lysis of P. pouchetii by PpV had strong positive effects on bacterial and HNF abundance, and the mass balance of C, N and P suggested an efficient transfer of organic material from P. pouchetii to bacterial and HNF biomass through viral lysis. At the same time, the degradation of P. pouchetii lysates was associated with significant regeneration of inorganic N and P resulting in 148 microg N l(-1) and 7 microg P l(-1), corresponding to 78% and 26% of lysate N and P being mineralized to NH(4)(+) and PO(4)(3-), respectively. These results showed that the turnover of viral lysates in the microbial food web was associated with significant N and P mineralization, supporting the current view that viral lysates can be an important source of inorganic nutrients in marine systems. In the presence of R. salina, the generated NH(4)(+) supported 11% of the observed R. salina growth. Regrowth of virus-resistant P. pouchetii following cell lysis was observed in long-term incubations (150 days), and possibly influenced by nutrient availability and competition from R. salina. The observed impact of viral activity on autotrophic and heterotrophic processes provides direct experimental evidence for virus-driven nutrient generation and emphasizes the potential importance of the viral activity in supporting marine primary production.