Gut Microbiota Diversity Between Normal And Moribund Orange-Spotted Grouper Epinephelus coioides in the Merbok River Using 16S rRNA Gene Amplicon Sequencing

Cher Chien Lau; Siti Azizah  Mohd Nor; Mohd Ezhar  Mohd Noor; Nor  Afiqah-Aleng; Min Pau Tan; Su Khi Ng; Yeong Yik Sung; Mohammad Bodrul  Munir; Muhd  Danish-Daniel

doi:10.55230/mabjournal.v54i4.3011

Authors

Cher Chien Lau Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Siti Azizah Mohd Nor Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Mohd Ezhar Mohd Noor Department of Agrotechnology and Bio-Industry, Politeknik Jeli Kelantan, 17600 Jeli, Kelantan, Malaysia
Nor Afiqah-Aleng Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Min Pau Tan Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Su Khi Ng Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia; Little Fish Sdn Bhd, B-1-12, Tower B, Zenith Corporate Park, Selangor, Malaysia
Yeong Yik Sung Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia
Mohammad Bodrul Munir Faculty of Agriculture, Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali, Sinaut Campus, Tutong TB1741, Brunei Darussalam
Muhd Danish-Daniel
mdda@umt.edu.my
Institute of Climate Adaptation and Marine Biotechnology (ICAMB), Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, 21030 Kuala Nerus, Terengganu, Malaysia

Keywords:

aquaculture, fish, probiotic, next generation sequencing, intestinal

Abstract

This study was conducted in the Merbok River, northwest Peninsular Malaysia, which is exposed to annual episodes of pollution. The microbiota of foregut, midgut and hindgut were analyzed to identify differences in the gut microbiome between three normal and two moribund orange-spotted grouper, Epinephelus coioides. Live specimens were collected two weeks after an episode of mass mortality. The 16S amplicon sequencing targeting the V3-V4 highly variable region revealed similar community richness among samples with common dominant phyla, including Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Tenericutes, Cyanobacteria and Acidobacteria. Significantly higher abundance of phylum Cyanobacteria, genus Sphingomonas and species Eubacterium coprostanoligenes in normal guts was likely beneficial in maintaining gut health. Moribund guts were enriched with opportunistic pathogens, including Escherichia-Shigella, Clostridium sensu stricto 1 and Shewanella. In particular, moribund hindguts displayed a reduced Firmicutes-to-Proteobacteria ratio and significant enrichment of Photobacterium damselae subsp. damselae, indicating dysbiosis and predicted to associate with skin conditions. Higher abundance of Photobacterim in moribund fish hindguts may also correlate with the increased chitinolytic activity and altered metabolic pathways. The outcomes of the study provide fundamental insights into the roles of gut microbiota in regulating the orange-spotted grouper's survival in a polluted environment.

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