Selected nondigestible carbohydrates and prebiotics support the growth of probiotic fish bacteria mono-cultures in vitro

Xylooligosaccharide supplementation in rice protein concentrate based diets: A comprehensive analysis of performance and health of Labeo rohita

The primary aim of this study was to examine the impact of xylooligosaccharide (XOS) in rice protein concentrate (RPC) based diets on the growth performance, body composition, digestive enzymes, intestinal morphology and blood biochemistry of Labeo rohita fingerlings. Four different XOS levels (0%, 0.5%, 1% and 2%) were used at each RPC (75% and 100%) level. Twenty-five fish per tank with an average initial weight of 25 ± 0.05 g were randomly assigned (Randomised complete block design) to each of the 8 groups in triplicate aquaria (36 × 16 × 12″) and then fed with respective diets @ 3% body weight for 90 days. The results showed significant improvements in growth performance, such as increased weight gain %, specific growth rate, and protein efficiency ratio and improved feed conversion ratio in 1% XOS supplemented diet at 75% RPC. A significant decrease in serum alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP) and plasma melanodialdehyde (MDA) were observed at 1% XOS level in 75% RPC based diets, respectively. Meanwhile, the lowest total cholesterol and highest lysozyme activity were observed in 1% XOS supplemented diet at 75% RPC levels. Moreover, the serum (alanine aminotransferase and aspartate transaminase) and plasma (superoxide dismutase, triglyceride, high density and low density lipoprotein) activities showed nonsignificant effects among the treatments. Furthermore, the digestive enzymes (protease & lipase) and intestinal morphology were significantly influenced at 1% XOS in the 75% RPC-based diet. Polynomial regression analysis showed that 1.25% XOS is the optimum requirement for the growth of rohu fingerlings when fed at 75% RPC based diets. Overall, it was concluded that the 75% RPC diet was efficiently replaced by fishmeal along with 1% XOS addition in L. rohita fingerlings without any negative effect on growth performance and intestinal health.

Biotherapeutic microbial supplementation for ameliorating fish health: developing trends in probiotics, prebiotics, and synbiotics use in finfish aquaculture

Nutrition demands in aquaculture can be realized through quality aquafeeds as compounded diets that contribute to the growth and health of aquaculture species. Functional additives in feed, notably probiotics, prebiotics, and their admixture synbiotics, have been recently recognized for their biotherapeutic role as immunostimulants capable of conferring disease resistance, stress tolerance, and gastrointestinal health; counteracting the negative effects of anti-nutrients, pathogenic prevalence, and antimicrobials in finfish aquaculture. Formulated diets based on probiotics, prebiotics, and as a supplemental combination for synbiotics can significantly influence fish gut microbiomes, establishing the modalities of microbial dynamics to maximize host-associated benefits. These microbial functional-feed supplements are acclaimed to be biocompatible, biodegradable, and safe for dietary consumption as well as the environment. In fed fish aquaculture, prebiotic appended probiotic diet 'synbiotic' has propounded larger attention for its additional health and nutritional benefits. Synbiotic, prebiotic, and probiotic usage as functional feeds for finfish aquaculture thus provides promising prospects. Developing trends in their intended application are reviewed here forth.

Effects of Enzamin, a Microbial Product, on Alterations of Intestinal Microbiota Induced by a High-Fat Diet

In the human intestinal tract, there are more than 100 trillion microorganisms classified into at least 1000 different species. The intestinal microbiota contributes to the regulation of systemic physiologic functions and the maintenance of homeostasis of the host. It has been reported that the alteration of the intestinal microbiota is involved in metabolic syndromes, including type II diabetes and dyslipidemia, inflammatory bowel disease, allergic disease, and cancer growth. It has been reported that a microbial product from Paenibacillus polymyxa AK, which was named Enzamin, ameliorated adipose inflammation with impaired adipocytokine expression and insulin resistance in db/db mice. In order to investigate the effect of Enzamin on the intestinal microbiota and inflammation induced by obesity, mice were fed with a high-fat diet and 1% Enzamin for 4 weeks. Enzamin improved the Firmicutes-to-Bacteroidetes ratio and altered the intestinal microbiota in mice fed the high-fat diet. In addition, Enzamin suppressed the decreased expression of claudin-4 and the increased serum LPS level in mice fed with the high-fat diet. Modulating the intestinal microbiota with Enzamin may cause a decrease in serum LPS level. Based on these results, Enzamin may improve inflammation and metabolic disorders by regulating the intestinal microbiota in obese mice.

Antagonistic Effects of Conjugated Linoleic Acids of Lactobacillus casei against Foodborne Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli

ABSTRACT

Probiotics in fermented foods or commercially available supplements benefit the host by providing metabolites and peptides. The production of these metabolites varies with the available substrates or prebiotics present in the system and their concentration. In this study, 0.5% peanut flour (PF) was used to stimulate the growth and production of metabolites of wild-type Lactobacillus casei (LCwt) and compare with an engineered L. casei (LCCLA) capable of converting a higher amount of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). The total extracellular metabolites present in the cell-free cultural supernatant (CFCS) of LCwt (without peanut), LCwt+PF (with peanut), and LCCLA were collected after 24 and 48 h of incubation, and their antagonistic activities against enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC EDL933) growth and pathogenesis were evaluated. All collected metabolites exhibited varying efficiency in restraining EHEC EDL933 growth, whereas supplementing a low concentration of CLA to the 48-h CFCS from LCwt showed augmented antagonism toward EHEC EDL933. A downregulation of key virulence genes was observed from metabolites collected at the 48-h time point. These observations indicate that the presence of metabolites in CFCSs-including CLA, which is produced by Lactobacillus and was identified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry-plays a critical role. This study demonstrates the potential applicability of Lactobacillus-originated CLA in the prevention of EHEC EDL933-mediated illnesses.

HIGHLIGHTS

β-Glucan-Induced Immuno-Modulation: A Role for the Intestinal Microbiota and Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Common Carp

Dietary supplementation of fish with β-glucans has been commonly associated with immunomodulation and generally accepted as beneficial for fish health. However, to date the exact mechanisms of immunomodulation by β-glucan supplementation in fish have remained elusive. In mammals, a clear relation between high-fibre diets, such as those including β-glucans, and diet-induced immunomodulation via intestinal microbiota and associated metabolites has been observed. In this study, first we describe by 16S rRNA sequencing the active naive microbiota of common carp intestine. Based on the abundance of the genus Bacteroides, well known for their capacity to degrade and ferment carbohydrates, we hypothesize that common carp intestinal microbiota could ferment dietary β-glucans. Indeed, two different β-glucan preparations (curdlan and MacroGard^®) were both fermented in vitro, albeit with distinct fermentation dynamics and distinct production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA). Second, we describe the potential immunomodulatory effects of the three dominant SCFAs (acetate, butyrate, and propionate) on head kidney leukocytes, showing effects on both nitric oxide production and expression of several cytokines (il-1b, il-6, tnfα, and il-10) in vitro. Interestingly, we also observed a regulation of expression of several gpr40L genes, which were recently described as putative SCFA receptors. Third, we describe how a single in vivo oral gavage of carp with MacroGard^® modulated simultaneously, the expression of several pro-inflammatory genes (il-1b, il-6, tnfα), type I IFN-associated genes (tlr3.1, mx3), and three specific gpr40L genes. The in vivo observations provide indirect support to our in vitro data and the possible role of SCFAs in β-glucan-induced immunomodulation. We discuss how β-glucan-induced immunomodulatory effects can be explained, at least in part, by fermentation of MacroGard^® by specific bacteria, part of the naive microbiota of common carp intestine, and how a subsequent production of SFCAs could possibly explain immunomodulation by β-glucan via SCFA receptors present on leukocytes.

In Silico Prediction of Novel Probiotic Species Limiting Pathogenic Vibrio Growth Using Constraint-Based Genome Scale Metabolic Modeling

The prevalence of bacterial diseases and the application of probiotics to prevent them is a common practice in shrimp aquaculture. A wide range of bacterial species/strains is utilized in probiotic formulations, with proven beneficial effects. However, knowledge of their role in inhibiting the growth of a specific pathogen is restricted. In this study, we employed constraint-based genome-scale metabolic modeling approach to screen and identify the beneficial bacteria capable of limiting the growth of V. harveyi, a common pathogen in shrimp culture. Genome-scale models were built for 194 species (including strains from the genera Bacillus, Lactobacillus, and Lactococcus and the pathogenic strain V. harveyi) to explore the metabolic potential of these strains under different nutrient conditions in a consortium. In silico-based phenotypic analysis on 193 paired models predicted six candidate strains with growth enhancement and pathogen suppression. Growth simulations reveal that mannitol and glucoronate environments mediate parasitic interactions in a pairwise community. Furthermore, in a mannitol environment, the shortlisted six strains were purely metabolite consumers without donating metabolites to V. harveyi. The production of acetate by the screened species in a paired community suggests the natural metabolic end product's role in limiting pathogen survival. Our study employing in silico approach successfully predicted three novel candidate strains for probiotic applications, namely, Bacillus sp 1 (identified as B. licheniformis in this study), Bacillus weihaiensis Alg07, and Lactobacillus lindneri TMW 1.1993. The study is the first to apply genomic-scale metabolic models for aquaculture applications to detect bacterial species limiting Vibrio harveyi growth.

Antagonistic Mechanism of Metabolites Produced by Lactobacillus casei on Lysis of Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli

Enhancing extracellular metabolic byproducts of probiotics is one of the promising strategies to improve overall host health as well as to control enteric infections caused by various foodborne pathogens. However, the underlying mechanism of action of those metabolites and their effective concentrations are yet to be established. In this study, we determined the antibacterial potential of the metabolites in the cell-free culture supernatant (CFCS) collected from wild-type Lactobacillus casei (LC_wt) and genetically modified LC to overexpress linoleate isomerase (LC_CLA). We also evaluated the mechanism of action of CFCSs collected from the culture of LC_wt in the presence or absence of 0.5% peanut flour (CFCS^wt and CFCS^wt+PF, respectively) and LC_CLA alone (CFCS^CLA) against enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). The metabolites present in CFCS^wt+PF and CFCS^CLA eliminated EHEC within 24 and 48 h, respectively. Whereas CFCS^wt failed to eliminate EHEC but reduced their growth by 6.7 logs (p < 0.05) as compared to the control. Significant downregulation of the expression of cell division gene, ftsZ, supported the observed degree of bactericidal and bacteriostatic properties of the collected CFCSs. Upregulation of EHEC genes related to maintaining cell membrane integrity, DNA damage repair, and molecular chaperons indicated an intensive stress condition imposed by the total metabolites present in CFCSs on EHEC growth and cellular structures. A range of deviated morphological features provoked by the metabolites indicated a membrane-targeted action, in general, to compromise the membrane permeability of EHEC. The information obtained from this study may contribute to a more efficient prevention of EHEC related infections.

A continuously changing selective context on microbial communities associated with fish, from egg to fork

Fast increase of fish aquaculture production to meet consumer demands is accompanied by important ecological concerns such as disease outbreaks. Meanwhile, food waste is an important concern with fish products since they are highly perishable. Recent aquaculture and fish product microbiology, and more recently, microbiota research, paved the way to a highly integrated approach to understand complex relationships between host fish, product and their associated microbial communities at health/disease and preservation/spoilage frontiers. Microbial manipulation strategies are increasingly validated as promising tools either to replace or to complement traditional veterinary and preservation methods. In this review, we consider evolutionary forces driving fish microbiota assembly, in particular the changes in the selective context along the production chain. We summarize the current knowledge concerning factors governing assembly and dynamics of fish hosts and food microbial communities. Then, we discuss the current microbial community manipulation strategies from an evolutionary standpoint to provide a perspective on the potential for risks, conflict and opportunities. Finally, we conclude that to harness evolutionary forces in the development of sustainable microbiota manipulation applications in the fish industry, an integrated knowledge of the controlling abiotic and especially biotic factors is required.

Growth Behavior and Fatty Acid Production of Probiotics, Pediococcus acidilactici and Lactococcus lactis, at Different Concentrations of Fructooligosaccharide: Studies Validating Clinical Efficacy of Selected Synbiotics on Growth Performance of Caspian Roach (Rutilus frisii kutum) Fry

Growth behavior and production of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) of two probiotics, Pediococcus acidilactici and Lactococcus lactis, each at 10⁷ cfu/g (P1, L1) and 10¹⁰ cfu/g (P2, L2) at different concentrations of fructooligosaccharide (FOS) [0.5% (F1), 1% (F2), and 2% (F3)] were assessed in vitro. The time to reach the maximum growth of the probiotics in all 12 treatments was between 8 to 10 h, with the highest and the lowest growth rates obtained in F1L1P1 (0.34 ± 0.02 OD) and F3L1P1 (0.31 ± 0.05 OD) treatments, respectively. The shortest and the longest generation times were seen in F1L1P1 (112 ± 1.5 min) and F2L1P1 (231 ± 0.5 min) treatments, respectively. The highest and the lowest levels of SCFA production were found in F1L1P1 (17.94 ± 0.74 mg/L) and F3L1P1 (12.98 ± 0.85 mg/L) treatments, respectively. The three synbiotics with the highest SCFA production were then fed to Caspian roach (Rutilus frisii kutum) fry weighing 0.75 ± 0.02 g at 28 °C for 60 days, to assess growth performance and enzymatic activity. The best growth performance in terms of weight gain (WG), protein efficiency ratio (PER), net protein utilization (NPU), and food conversion ratio (FCR) were seen with F1L1P1. In addition, the highest activity levels of the digestive enzymes chymotrypsin, lipase, and amylase were obtained with F1P1L1. The correlation of these in vitro and in vivo data demonstrated that oral application of these two probiotics each at 10⁷ cfu/g feed plus 0.5% FOS can improve growth and gut enzyme activity of Caspian roach fry.

Fermentability of a Novel Galacto-Oligosaccharide Mixture by Lactobacillus spp. and Bifidobacterium spp

This study aimed to investigate the specific growth stimulation of certain desired intestinal bacteria by a novel galacto-oligosaccharide mixture, which was produced with a β-galactosidase from a potential probiotic Lactobacillus isolate that contained mainly oligosaccharides of β-1,3 and β-1,6 glycosidic linkages (termed Lb-GOS) using single-strain fermentations. The composition of this Lb-GOS mixture was 33.5% disaccharides, 60.5% trisaccharides, 4.8% tetrasaccharides, and 1.0% pentasaccharides with a negligible amount of monosaccharides, lactose, and lactobionic acid (0.3%). Eight Lactobacillus spp. strains and three Bifidobacterium spp. strains were used in single-strain fermentations to determine the fermentation activity scores of this Lb-GOS preparation compared to two commercially available prebiotic mixtures, 4′GOS-P and Vivinal GOS (V-GOS). The highest scores were obtained when L. reuteri Lb46 and the two Bifidobacterium strains, B. animalis subsp. lactis Bif1 and Bif3, were grown on these galacto-oligosaccharide mixtures. In addition, the Lb-GOS mixture was found to have higher fermentation activity scores; hence, it stimulated the growth of these probiotic strains more than 4′GOS-P and V-GOS, which may be attributed to the different glycosidic linkage types that are found in the Lb-GOS mixture compared to the other two commercial preparations. These findings suggested that the Lb-GOS mixture that is described in this work should be of interest for the formulations of new carbohydrate-based functional food ingredients.

Microbiome and diabetes: Where are we now?

Alterations in the diversity or structure of gut microbiota known as dysbiosis, may affect metabolic activities, resulting in metabolic disorders, such as obesity and diabetes. The development of more sophisticated methods, such as metagenomics sequencing, PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis, microarrays and fluorescence in situ hybridization, has expanded our knowledge on gut microbiome. Dysbiosis has been related to increased plasma concentrations of gut microbiota-derived lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which triggers the production of a variety of cytokines and the recruitment of inflammatory cells. Metabolomics have demonstrated that butyrate and propionate suppress weight gain in mice with high fat diet-induced obesity, and acetate has been proven to reduce food intake in healthy mice. The role of prebiotics, probiotics, genetically modified bacteria and fecal microbiota transplantation, as potential therapeutic challenges for type 2 diabetes will be discussed in this review.

Exploring the prebiotic effect of cyclodextrins on probiotic bacteria entrapped in carboxymetyl cellulose-chitosan particles

In this work the prebiotic effect of different cyclodextrins, CDs, on the viability of model probiotic bacteria (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) encapsulated in carboxymethyl cellulose-chitosan (CMC-Cht) hybrid particles was studied. All the CDs tested were observed to considerably improve the viability (quantitatively like common prebiotics, such as corn starch) and encapsulation efficiency when compared to the CD-free particles, as inferred by plate counting method and fluorescence microscopy. The SEM data suggests that the morphology of the particles, the roughness of the surface and porosity, are dependent on the type of CD and may reflect different interactions between the CDs and the matrix components. The aging and stability of the samples with and without β-CD were further evaluated. Remarkably, the viability count of the CD-doped samples was still reasonably high after one month storage at room temperature with acceptable values for practical uses. Moreover, when the CMC-Cht particles were exposed to in vitro simulated digestion fluids, the cell survival was much enhanced when the particles contained β-CD.

Gut microbiota as a potential target of metabolic syndrome: the role of probiotics and prebiotics

Metabolic syndrome (MS) comprises central obesity, increased plasma glucose levels, hyperlipidemia and hypertension, and its incidence is increasing due to changes in lifestyle and dietary structure in recent years. MS has been proven to be associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus, leading to morbidity and mortality. In this manuscript, we review recent studies concerning the role of the gut microbiota in MS modulation. Manipulation of the gut microbiota through the administration of prebiotics or probiotics may assist in weight loss and reduce plasma glucose and serum lipid levels, decreasing the incidence of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes mellitus. To the best of our knowledge, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), bile salt hydrolase (BSH), metabolic endotoxemia and the endocannabinoid (eCB) system are essential in regulating the initiation and progression of MS through the normalization of adipogenesis and the regulation of insulin secretion, fat accumulation, energy homeostasis, and plasma cholesterol levels. Therefore, the gut microbiota may serve as a potential therapeutic target for MS. However, further studies are needed to enhance our understanding of manipulating the gut microbiota and the role of the gut microbiota in MS prevention and treatment.

Current applications, selection, and possible mechanisms of actions of synbiotics in improving the growth and health status in aquaculture: A review

Synbiotics, a conjunction between prebiotics and probiotics, have been used in aquaculture for over 10 years. However, the mechanisms of how synbiotics work as growth and immunity promoters are far from being unraveled. Here, we show that a prebiotic as part of a synbiotic is hydrolyzed to mono- or disaccharides as the sole carbon source with diverse mechanisms, thereby increasing biomass and colonization that is established by specific crosstalk between probiotic bacteria and the surface of intestinal epithelial cells of the host. Synbiotics may indirectly and directly promote the growth of aquatic animals through releasing extracellular bacterial enzymes and bioactive products from synbiotic metabolic processes. These compounds may activate precursors of digestive enzymes of the host and augment the nutritional absorptive ability that contributes to the efficacy of food utilization. In fish immune systems, synbiotics cause intestinal epithelial cells to secrete cytokines which modulate immune functional cells as of dendritic cells, T cells, and B cells, and induce the ability of lipopolysaccharides to trigger tumor necrosis factor-α and Toll-like receptor 2 gene transcription leading to increased respiratory burst activity, phagocytosis, and nitric oxide production. In shellfish, synbiotics stimulate the proliferation and degranulation of hemocytes of shrimp due to the presence of bacterial cell walls. Pathogen-associated molecular patterns are subsequently recognized and bound by specific pattern-recognition proteins, triggering melanization and phagocytosis processes.

Combining prebiotics with probiotic bacteria can enhance bacterial growth and secretion of bacteriocins

There is a growing interest in supporting human health by using prebiotics, such as oligosaccharides, and beneficial bacteria, also called probiotics. Combining these two components we can develop synbiotics. In order to create successful combination of synbiotic it is very important to evaluate the influence of prebiotic oligosaccharides to probiotic bacteria and their behavior, such as growth and secretion of health related biomolecules, including bacteriocins. In this study seven type strains of probiotic bacteria (five Lactobacillus sp. and two Lactococcus sp.) and two Lactobacillus sp. strains, isolated from probiotic yoghurt, were cultivated with various commercially available and extracted oligosaccharides (OS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of these OS on type and isolated bacterial strains growth and antibacterial activity. Obtained results suggest that combination of certain OS with probiotic strains may considerably improve their growth and/or antibacterial activity. We also determined the antibacterial activity spectrum of investigated strains with combination of OS against common food borne pathogens. Results of this work show that prebiotic OS can be useful for modulating probiotic bacteria growth, antibacterial activity and even specificity of this activity.

Modulation of innate immune response, mucosal parameters and disease resistance in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) upon synbiotic feeding

The present study investigates the effects of dietary supplements of galactooligosaccharides (GOS), Pediococcus acidilactici and P. acidilactici + GOS on innate immune response, skin mucus as well as disease resistance of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) fingerlings (15.04 ± 0.52 g). After 8 weeks of feeding, several innate immune (lysozyme, alternative complement and respiratory burst activities) and skin mucus parameters (bactericidal activity against Streptococcus faecium, Streptococcus iniae, Serratia marcescens, Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli and mucus protein content) were studied. The results indicated that the three supplemented diet significantly increased innate immune response and skin mucus parameters in rainbow trout. The highest innate immune response, skin mucus activity as well as protein level was observed in synbiotic fed fish. Furthermore, at the end of the feeding experiment, some fish were intraperitoneally injected with Streptococcus iniae to determine the disease resistance. The mortality of fingerlings fed supplemented diet was significantly lower than fish from control group being the lowest mortality recorded in synbiotic fed fish group.

Effect of calcium with and without probiotic, lactose, or both on organ and body weights, immune response and caecal microbiota in moulted laying hens

A total of 72 laying hens were used to investigate the effect of probiotic and lactose on body weight loss, tibia ash, antibody production against sheep red blood cell (SRBC), heterophile-to-lymphocyte (H/L) ratio and gut microbiota in a common moulting method for 14 d. Hens were randomly allocated to 6 experimental groups consisting of (i) full feed (FF), (ii) feed withdrawal (FW), (iii) FW with calcium (Ca), (iv) FW with Ca and offering 7 g/lit lactose in drinking water (CaL), (v) FW with Ca and offering 1 g/lit probiotic in drinking water (CaP), and (vi) FW with Ca and offering a mixture of lactose and probiotic in drinking water (CaLP). The results showed body weight loss in all FW groups were more than 25% that was significantly higher than FF group (p < 0.05). The relative organ weights of hens in FW groups were lower than FF group; especially, it was significant for liver and ovary (p < 0.05). No significant difference was observed between all groups for tibia ash. The highest H/L ratio was related to FW group and offering Ca and lactose numerically and probiotic alone significantly resulted in decrease of this ratio (p < 0.05). The results also showed no significant difference for antibody production against SRBC among experimental groups. The highest coliform bacteria numeration observed in FW group and lactose could significantly reduce this population (p < 0.05). Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) numeration demonstrated a significant difference among treatments, so that FF hens had higher LAB than others (p < 0.05). In addition, FW moulted hens had significantly lower LAB compared to other moulted hens (p < 0.05), except for Ca group. In conclusion, probiotic and lactose was effective in maintaining caecal microbiota balance and improving immunity in hens exposed to moulting.

Teleost microbiomes: the state of the art in their characterization, manipulation and importance in aquaculture and fisheries

Indigenous microbiota play a critical role in the lives of their vertebrate hosts. In human and mouse models it is increasingly clear that innate and adaptive immunity develop in close concert with the commensal microbiome. Furthermore, several aspects of digestion and nutrient metabolism are governed by intestinal microbiota. Research on teleosts has responded relatively slowly to the introduction of massively parallel sequencing procedures in microbiomics. Nonetheless, progress has been made in biotic and gnotobiotic zebrafish models, defining a core microbiome and describing its role in development. However, microbiome research in other teleost species, especially those important from an aquaculture perspective, has been relatively slow. In this review, we examine progress in teleost microbiome research to date. We discuss teleost microbiomes in health and disease, microbiome ontogeny, prospects for successful microbiome manipulation (especially in an aquaculture setting) and attempt to identify important future research themes. We predict an explosion in research in this sector in line with the increasing global demand for fish protein, and the need to find sustainable approaches to improve aquaculture yield. The reduced cost and increasing ease of next generation sequencing technologies provides the technological backing, and the next 10 years will be an exciting time for teleost microbiome research.

Difference in Degradation Patterns on Inulin-type Fructans among Strains of Lactobacillus delbrueckii and Lactobacillus paracasei

Lactobacillus delbrueckii strains were assessed for their degradation patterns of various carbohydrates with specific reference to inulin-type fructans in comparison with those of Lactobacillus paracasei strains. Firstly, growth curves on glucose, fructose, sucrose and inulin-type fructans with increasing degrees of fructose polymerization (i.e., 1-kestose, fructo-oligosaccharides and inulin) of the strains were compared. L. paracasei DSM 20020 grew well on all these sugars, while the growth rates of the 4 L. delbrueckii strains were markedly higher on the fructans with a greater degree of polymerization than on fructose and sucrose. Secondly, sugar compositions of spent cultures of the strains of L. delbrueckii and L. paracasei grown in mMRS containing either the fructans or inulin were determined by thin layer chromatography, in which the spent cultures of L. paracasei DSM 20020 showed spots of short fructose and sucrose fractions, whereas those of the L. delbrueckii strains did not show such spots at all. These results suggest that, unlike the L. paracasei strains, the L. delbrueckii strains do not degrade the inulin-type fructans extracellularly, but transport the fructans capable of greater polymerization preferentially into their cells to be degraded intracellularly for their growth.

Effects of dietary arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides (AXOS) and endogenous probiotics on the growth performance, non-specific immunity and gut microbiota of juvenile Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii)

We investigated the effects of administration of putative endogenous probiotics Lactococcus lactis spp. lactis or Bacillus circulans, alone and in combination with arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides (AXOS), a new class of candidate prebiotics, in juvenile Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). Eight experimental diets were tested: basal diet (Diet 1), basal diet supplemented with 2% AXOS (Diet 2), or L. lactis ST G81 (Diet 3), L. lactis ST G45 (Diet 4), B. circulans ST M53 (Diet 5), L. lactis ST G81 + 2% AXOS (Diet 6), L. lactis ST G45 + 2% AXOS (Diet 7), B. circulans ST M53 + 2% AXOS (Diet 8). After four weeks, growth performance and feed conversion ratio significantly improved in fish fed diet 7. Innate immune responses of fish were boosted with both AXOS and probiotic diets, however synergistic effects of AXOS and probiotic diets were only observed for phagocytic and alternative complement activity. Phagocytic and respiratory burst activity of fish macrophage increased in fish fed diet 2 and 7, while humoral immune responses only increased in fish fed diet 7. Pyrosequencing analysis (16S rDNA) of the hindgut microbiota demonstrated that AXOS improved the colonization or/and growth capacity of L. lactis, as a higher relative abundance of L. lactis was observed in fish receiving diet 7. However, no observable colonization of B. circulans was found in the hindgut of fish fed diet 5 or 8, containing this bacterium. The dietary L. lactis ST G45 + 2% AXOS caused significant alterations in the intestinal microbiota by significantly decreasing in bacterial diversity, demonstrated by the fall in richness and Shannon diversity, and improved growth performance and boosted immune responses of Siberian sturgeon.

Prebiotic effects of arabinoxylan oligosaccharides on juvenile Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) with emphasis on the modulation of the gut microbiota using 454 pyrosequencing

The potential of a novel class of prebiotics, arabinoxylan oligosaccharides (AXOS), was investigated on growth performance and gut microbiota of juvenile Acipenser baerii. Two independent feeding trials of 10 or 12 weeks were performed with basal diets supplemented with 2% or 4% AXOS-32-0.30 (trial 1) and 2% AXOS-32-0.30 or AXOS-3-0.25 (trial 2), respectively. Growth performance was improved by feeding 2% AXOS-32-0.30 in both trials, although not significantly. Microbial community profiles were determined using 454-pyrosequencing with barcoded primers targeting the V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene. AXOS significantly affected the relative abundance of bacteria at the phylum, family, genus and species level. The consumption of 2% AXOS-32-0.30 increased the relative abundance of Eubacteriaceae, Clostridiaceae, Streptococcaceae and Lactobacillaceae, while the abundance of Bacillaceae was greater in response to 4% AXOS-32-0.30 and 2% AXOS-3-0.25. The abundance of Lactobacillus spp. and Lactococcus lactis was greater after 2% AXOS-32-0.30 intake. Redundancy analysis showed a distinct and significant clustering of the gut microbiota of individuals consuming an AXOS diet. In both trials, concentration of acetate, butyrate and total short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) increased in fish fed 2% AXOS-32-0.30. Our data demonstrate a shift in the hindgut microbiome of fish consuming different preparation of AXOS, with potential application as prebiotics.

Effects of arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides (AXOS) on juvenile Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) performance, immune responses and gastrointestinal microbial community

Arabinoxylan-oligosaccharides (AXOS) are a newly discovered class of candidate prebiotics that exert different properties depending on their structure. In this study the effects of two different structures of AXOS, namely AXOS-32-0.30 (average degree of polymerization: 32, average degree of substitution: 0.30) and AXOS-3-0.25, were investigated on growth performance, immune responses, gut microbial fermentation and gut bacterial composition of juvenile Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii). After a two weeks acclimation, fish (25.9 ± 0.9 g) were distributed over 24 aquariums (8 replicates per treatment) and fed a control diet or a diet containing 2% AXOS-32-0.30 or AXOS-3-0.25 for 12 weeks. Growth performance and feed utilization tend to improve in sturgeon fed on diets supplemented with AXOS-32-0.30, however not significant. Survival was high in all groups. Both AXOS preparations significantly enhanced the phagocytic activity of fish macrophages compared to the control group, while the alternative haemolytic complement activity and total serum peroxidase content improved only in the group fed AXOS-32-0.30 (P < 0.05). The lysozyme activity was not affected by AXOS addition. Simultaneously, the amount of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) was highest in the hind gut of sturgeon fed AXOS-32-0.30. The concentrations of acetate, butyrate and total SCFAs in fish fed AXOS-32-0.30 was significantly higher than in the groups fed the control diet or AXOS-3-0.25. Study of the bacterial community in the sturgeon hindgut using PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (PCR-DGGE) revealed that both preparations of AXOS induced changes in the bacterial composition. According to redundancy analysis (RDA), hindgut microbiota of each treatment group clustered apart from one another (P = 0.001). DNA sequencing of the dominant DGGE bands recovered from the different treatments showed that AXOS mainly stimulated the growth of lactic acid bacteria and Clostridium sp., with more pronounced effects of AXOS-32-0.30. It is concluded that AXOS improves sturgeon health through prebiotic action, but the induced effects depend on the specific structure of AXOS. A higher degree of polymerization of AXOS had a stronger beneficial impact in this sturgeon species.

Effects of dietary Bacillus subtilis, Tetraselmis chuii, and Phaeodactylum tricornutum, singularly or in combination, on the immune response and disease resistance of sea bream (Sparus aurata L.)

Combined or individual effects of two microalgae (Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Tetraselmis chuii) and Bacillus subtilis on immune response, gene expression, and survival to challenge with Photobacterium damselae subsp. piscicida of gilthead sea bream were investigated. To test the capacity of B. subtilis to grow employing the microalgae polysaccharides as energy and carbon source, an in vitro assay was defined, and demonstrated that the digestion product of microalgae, mainly P. tricornutum, supported the growth of B. subtilis much better than glucose. For the in vivo study, fish were distributed in six equal groups (each of two replicates) and received one of the following experimental diets: C) control, non-supplemented diet; T) T. chuii 100 g kg(-1); P) P. tricornutum 100 g kg(-1); B) B. subtilis (10(7) cfu g(-1)); BT) B. subtilis (10(7) cfu g(-1))+T. chuii (100 g kg(-1)); and BP) B. subtilis (10(7) cfu g(-1))+P. tricornutum (100 g kg(-1)). The complement activity, serum IgM level, respiratory burst, phagocytic activity, and expression of seven selected immune-related genes in head-kidney were evaluated following two and four weeks of treatment. At the end of the feeding trial, fish were challenged by intraperitoneal injection of LD(50) concentration of P. damselae subsp. piscicida and mortality was recorded. This is the first study testing the immunomodulatory capacity of the microalgae used in the present work. The dietary applications of B. subtilis, T. chuii, and P. tricornutum, singly or in combination, may exhibit up-regulating effects on gilthead sea bream immune parameters. P. tricornutum demonstrated the highest immunostimulant activity. There were no significant differences between combination feeding and feeding ingredients separately. Our results demonstrated the potential of microalgae as immunostimulants for fish, although further studies regarding the implications and effects of a stimulated immune system against pathogens, especially the protective capacity against specific diseases, are necessary.