Abstract
Tenacibaculosis remains a major health issue for a number of important aquaculture species globally. On the west coast of Canada, yellow mouth (YM) disease is responsible for significant economic loss to the Atlantic salmon industry. While Tenacibaculum maritimum is considered to be the primary agent of clinical YM, the impact of YM on the resident microbial community and their influence on the oral cavity is poorly understood. Using a 16s rRNA amplicon sequencing analysis, the present study demonstrates a significant dysbiosis and a reduction in diversity of the microbial community in the YM affected Atlantic salmon. The microbial community of YM affected fish was dominated by two amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) of T. maritimum, although other less abundant ASVs were also found. Interestingly clinically unaffected (healthy) and YM surviving fish also had a high relative abundance of T. maritimum, suggesting that the presence of T. maritimum is not solely responsible for YM. A statistically significant association was observed between the abundance of T. maritimum and increased abundance of Vibrio spp. within fish displaying clinical signs of YM. Findings from our study provide further evidence that YM is a complex multifactorial disease, characterized by a profound dysbiosis of the microbial community which is dominated by distinct ASVs of T. maritimum. Opportunistic taxa, including Vibrio spp., may also play a role in clinical disease progression.
Highlights
Tenacibaculosis [yellow mouth (YM)] is an emerging disease in Western Canada, which causes significant outbreak events in post-seawater entry Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt (AvendanoHerrera et al, 2006b)
The microbial community from the three water samples had a greater richness of amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), along with higher Simpson, Shannon, and Pielou’s diversity metrics compared to the swab samples
The present study aimed to investigate changes in the microbial community associated with a natural YM outbreak in Atlantic salmon in Western Canada
Summary
Tenacibaculosis [yellow mouth (YM)] is an emerging disease in Western Canada, which causes significant outbreak events in post-seawater entry Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) smolt (AvendanoHerrera et al, 2006b). The disease typically occurs following the transfer of Microbiome Profiling Yellow Mouth Disease smolt to sea cages. In BC, the annual cost associated with outbreaks is estimated to be $1.8M, based on the 2016–2017 year-class generations. This is in addition to an estimated revenue loss of $3.8M per year to the local industry (Powell and Podlasly, 2015). The current YM mitigation strategy is antibiotic treatment during the first 2 months following seawater entry. Antibiotic treatment is essential for fish welfare and farm productivity, the use of antibiotics in BC waters remains a challenge for salmon farming companies
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