Bacterial and parasite co-infection in Mexican golden trout (Oncorhynchus chrysogaster) by Aeromonas bestiarum, Aeromonas sobria, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Ichthyobodo necator.

BACKGROUND: Bacterial infections are responsible of high economic losses in aquaculture. Mexican golden trout (Oncorhynchus chrysogaster) is a threatened native trout species that has been introduced in aquaculture both for species conservation and breeding for production and for which no studies of bacterial infections have been reported. CASE PRESENTATION: Fish from juvenile stages of Mexican golden trout showed an infectious outbreak in a farm in co-culture with rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), showing external puntiform red lesions around the mouth and caudal pedunculus resembling furuncles by Aeromonas spp. and causing an accumulated mortality of 91%. Isolation and molecular identification of bacteria from lesions and internal organs showed the presence of Aeromonas bestiarum, Aeromonas sobria, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Ichthyobodo necator isolated from a single individual. All bacterial isolates were resistant to amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and cefazoline. P. shigelloides was resistant to third generation ß-lactamics. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first report of coinfection by Aeromonas bestiarum, Aeromonas sobria, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Ichthyobodo necator in an individual of Mexican golden trout in co-culture with rainbow trout. Resistance to ß-lactams suggests the acquisition of genetic determinants from water contamination by human- or livestock-associated activities.

Loss of gut microbial diversity in the cultured, agastric fish, Mexican pike silverside (Chirostoma estor: Atherinopsidae).

Teleost fish are the most diverse group of extant vertebrates and have varied digestive anatomical structures and strategies, suggesting they also possess an array of different host-microbiota interactions. Differences in fish gut microbiota have been shown to affect host development, the process of gut colonization, and the outcomes of gene-environment or immune system-microbiota interactions. There is generally a lack of studies on the digestive mechanisms and microbiota of agastric short-intestine fish however, meaning that we do not understand how changes in gut microbial diversity might influence the health of these types of fish. To help fill these gaps in knowledge, we decided to study the Mexican pike silverside (Chirostoma estor) which has a simplified alimentary canal (agastric, short-intestine, 0.7 gut relative length) to observe the diversity and metabolic potential of its intestinal microbiota. We characterized gut microbial populations using high-throughput sequencing of the V3 region in bacterial 16S rRNA genes while searching for population shifts resulting associated with fish development in different environments and cultivation methods. Microbiota samples were taken from the digesta, anterior and posterior intestine (the three different intestinal components) of fish that grew wild in a lake, that were cultivated in indoor tanks, or that were raised in outdoor ponds. Gut microbial diversity was significantly higher in wild fish than in cultivated fish, suggesting a loss of diversity when fish are raised in controlled environments. The most abundant phyla observed in these experiments were Firmicutes and Proteobacteria, particularly of the genera Mycoplasma, Staphylococcus, Spiroplasma, and Aeromonas. Of the 14,161 OTUs observed in this experiment, 133 were found in all groups, and 17 of these, belonging to Acinetobacter, Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, and Spiroplasma genera, were found in all samples suggesting the existence of a core C. estor microbiome. Functional metagenomic prediction of bacterial ecological functions using PICRUSt2 suggested that different intestinal components select for functionally distinct microbial populations with variation in pathways related to the metabolism of amino acids, vitamins, cofactors, and energy. Our results provide, for the first time, information on the bacterial populations present in an agastric, short-gut teleost with commercial potential and show that controlled cultivation of this fish reduces the diversity of its intestinal microbiota.

Caracterización de la curva de crecimiento en dos especies de pez blanco Chirostoma estor, C. promelas y sus híbridos / Characterization of the growth curve in two species of silverside Chirostoma estor, C. promelas and their hybrids

The objective of the present study was to estímate growth curve parameters of length and weight in whitefish Chirostoma estor (EE), blacknose silverside Chirostoma promelas (PP) and their reciprocal hybrids (EP and PE) up to 300 days of age from a complete diallel cross under culture conditions in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. The length was measured monthly from hatching, while the weight was measured monthly from 120 days of age. The total number of each observation (samples) was analyzed for length 1006 (26), 771 (22), 513 (22) and 421 (21) for groups EP, PE, PP and EE, respectively. Total number of observations (samples) was analyzed for weight 630 (16), 521 (14), 263 (13) and 256 (13) for groups EP, PE, PP and EE, respectively. The growth curves for weight and length were estimated using nonlinear regression models. The group EE reached an estimated weight of 7.89 g at 300 days of age, 65% higher than the PP (4.78 g) and 57 % higher than the average of their hybrids (P < 0.01); EE had a length of 9.31 cm (14%) larger than PP (7.97 cm) and 13% larger than the average of their hybrids (P < 0.01). The four groups showed a positive allometric growth with values of 3.20 to 3.3 (P < 0.05). The results of this study are the first comparative estimates of growth characteristics up to 300 days of age for these species and their hybrids in captivity.

El objetivo del presente estudio fue estimar parámetros de las curvas de crecimiento del peso y la longitud en el pez blanco Chirostoma estor (EE), el pez blanco pico negro Chirostoma promelas (PP) y de sus híbridos recíprocos (EP y PE) hasta los 300 días de edad a partir de un cruzamiento dialélico completo bajo condiciones de cultivo en Morelia, Michoacán, México. La longitud se midió mensualmente desde la eclosión, mientras que el peso se midió mensualmente a partir de los 120 días. Los números totales de observaciones (muestras) analizadas para longitud fueron 1006 (26), 771 (22), 513 (22) y 421 (21) para los grupos EP, PE, PP y EE, respectivamente. Los números totales de observaciones (muestras) analizadas para peso fueron 630 (16), 521 (14), 263 (13) y 256 (13) para los grupos EP, PE, PP y EE, respectivamente. Las curvas de crecimiento para peso y longitud se estimaron con modelos de regresión no lineal. El grupo EE alcanzó un peso estimado de 7.89 g a los 300 días de edad, 65% mayor que el de PP (4.78 g) y 57% mayor que el promedio de los híbridos (P < 0.01); EE tuvo una longitud de 9.31 cm (14%) mayor que PP (7.97 cm) y 13% mayor que la del promedio de los híbridos (P < 0.01). Los cuatro grupos, mostraron un crecimiento de tipo alométrico positivo con valores de 3.2 a 3.3 (P < 0.05). Los resultados de este estudio son las primeras estimaciones comparativas de las características de crecimiento hasta los 300 días de edad para estas especies y sus híbridos en cautiverio.