Abstract
Rising demand in the aquaculture sector tends towards finding innovative ways to promote better yield and profitability. Benthic soil microbiota can provide an insight into the potent opportunistic fish pathogens as well as probiotics present in the aquaculture system. This study reports the seasonal diversity and abundance of fifteen culturable pathogenic bacterial strains belonging to the genera of Comamonas, Aeromonas, Providencia, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Acinetobacter, Serratia, Stenotrophomonas, Staphylococcus, and Enterobacter along with nine probiotic strains native to genera of Bacillus and Pseudomonas isolated from an aquaculture farm benthic soil, located in East Kolkata Wetlands, West Bengal, India. Strains are isolated using traditional microbial culture methods and tested for their antimicrobial susceptibility against commonly available antibiotics. 16S rDNA analysis was done for the identification of the strains and the establishment of their phylogenetic relationships. Among the isolates, B. pumilus strain S8 in the pre-monsoon sample, E. coli strain M2aR1 in the monsoon sample, and A. hydrophila strain P6dF1 in the post-monsoon sample were the most abundant having MPN counts of 275±21 x 106 CFU/gram dry soil, 278±18 x 106 CFU/gram dry soil, and 321±28 x 106 CFU/gram dry soil respectively. Data on the temporal diversity, abundance, and drug-susceptibility of prokaryotic fish-pathogens and probiotics can be used to formulate measures for sustainable aquaculture practices with reduced maintenance costs.
Highlights
Fish production in India has come a long way from being dependent on natural sources to well-contemplated aquaculture farms and earned huge success after the implementation of composite fish culture techniques, leading to species diversification and enhanced yield[1]
This study reports the seasonal diversity and abundance of fifteen culturable pathogenic bacterial strains belonging to the genera of Comamonas, Aeromonas, Providencia, Klebsiella, Escherichia, Acinetobacter, Serratia, Stenotrophomonas, Staphylococcus, and Enterobacter along with nine probiotic strains native to genera of Bacillus and Pseudomonas isolated from an aquaculture farm benthic soil, located in East Kolkata Wetlands, West Bengal, India
Though several references are available on the description of the microbial communities of East Kolkata Wetlands, seasonal dynamics of the benthic soil prokaryotic microbiota emphasizing on the variation of probable fish pathogens and probiotics are scarce
Summary
Fish production in India has come a long way from being dependent on natural sources (rivers, lakes, and ponds) to well-contemplated aquaculture farms and earned huge success after the implementation of composite fish culture techniques, leading to species diversification and enhanced yield[1]. East Kolkata Wetlands, in the eastern part of the Kolkata, is designated as a Ramsar site that supplies a major fraction of the fish demand of the city[19] These inland freshwater aquaculture farms are one of a kind and serve two-fold purposes. These farms are mainly sewage fed, and act as natural sinks for waste recycling and attenuation of floods. Though several references are available on the description of the microbial communities of East Kolkata Wetlands, seasonal dynamics of the benthic soil prokaryotic microbiota emphasizing on the variation of probable fish pathogens and probiotics are scarce
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
