Gut microbiome resilience of green-lipped mussels, Perna canaliculus, to starvation

Host gut microbiomes play an important role in animal health and resilience to conditions, such as malnutrition and starvation. These host-microbiome relationships are poorly understood in the marine mussel Perna canaliculus, which experiences significant variations in food quantity and quality in coastal areas. Prolonged starvation may be a contributory factor towards incidences of mass mortalities in farmed mussel populations, resulting in highly variable production costs and unreliable market supplies. Here, we examine the gut microbiota of P. canaliculus in response to starvation and subsequent re-feeding using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Mussels showed no change in bacterial species richness when subjected to a 14-day starvation, followed by re-feeding/recovery. However, beta bacteria diversity revealed significant shifts (PERMANOVA p-value < 0.001) in community structure in the starvation group and no differences in the subsequent recovery group (compared to the control group) once they were re-fed, highlighting their recovery capability and resilience. Phylum-level community profiles revealed an elevation in dominance of Proteobacteria (ANCOM-BC p-value <0.001) and Bacteroidota (ANCOM-BC p-value = 0.04) and lower relative abundance of Cyanobacteria (ANCOM-BC p-value = 0.01) in the starvation group compared to control and recovery groups. The most abundant genus-level shifts revealed relative increases of the heterotroph Halioglobus (p-value < 0.05) and lowered abundances of the autotroph Synechococcus CC9902 in the starvation group. Furthermore, a SparCC correlation network identified co-occurrence of a cluster of genera with elevated relative abundance in the starved mussels that were positively correlated with Synechococcus CC9902... (AU)

Síntesis de evidencia. Cianobacterias, efectos a la salud humana, animal y ambiental / Synthesis of evidence. Cyanobacteria, effects on human, animal and environmental health

Los cuerpos de agua dulce albergan una gran cantidad de microorganismos cruciales para los ecosistemas acuáticos, incluyendo las cianobacterias. Sin embargo, su proliferación descontrolada representa riesgos para la salud humana, animal y el medio ambiente. Esta revisión destaca los efectos adversos de las cianobacterias y sus toxinas, así como los métodos de detección y prevención. La gestión efectiva de estos eventos requiere una comprensión integral de los factores ambientales y un enfoque preventivo en el tratamiento del agua. Se necesitan estrategias multifacéticas que incluyan la monitorización continua, medidas de tratamiento adecuadas y políticas de conservación ambiental para abordar este desafío

Freshwater bodies host a large number of microorganisms crucial to aquatic ecosystems, including cyanobacteria. However, their uncontrolled proliferation poses risks to human, animal and environmental health. This review highlights the adverse effects of cyanobacteria and their toxins, as well as detection and prevention methods. Effective management of these events requires a comprehensive understanding of environmental factors and a preventive approach to water treatment. Multifaceted strategies including continuous monitoring, appropriate treatment measures and environmental conservation policies are needed to address this challenge

James Anthony Giles Gilling.

Well-known for his quirky sense of humour, Giles helped many people and animals during his 38 years as a vet. He will be remembered for his love of animals and enjoyment of endurance riding.

Ian McNab.

A lifelong practitioner, he served BEVA and BVA on equine and large animal matters, especially welfare. As a director of Centaur Services, he was instrumental in the use of computerised systems from their outset.