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Intestinal Microecology Dysbiosis, Cultivable Pathogen Composition, and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Profiles Associated with Intestinal Exposure and Ocular Opacity in Hybrid Porcupinefish

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Intestinal exposure and ocular opacity occur in cultured hybrid porcupinefish, but the associated pathological lesions and gut microecological changes remain poorly characterized. Hybrid porcupinefish were assigned to a healthy control group (CT-CD-JK), an intestinal exposure group (CT-CD-FB), or an ocular opacity group (CT-YQ-FB). Gut microbiota, histopathology, cultivable bacteria, and antimicrobial susceptibility were assessed using 16S rRNA sequencing, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) staining, bacterial isolation and identification, and disk diffusion testing. Diseased fish showed evident intestinal and ocular tissue injury. Microbial richness was reduced in the CT-CD-FB group, and gut microbial community structure differed among groups (permutational multivariate analysis of variance [PERMANOVA], R2 = 0.5058, p = 0.001). At the phylum level, Firmicutes increased in the CT-CD-FB group, whereas Proteobacteria accounted for a higher proportion in the CT-CD-JK group. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) further indicated group-specific enrichment patterns. A total of 23 cultivable isolates were obtained, among which isolates assigned as putative Vibrio harveyi based on 16S rRNA sequence alignment accounted for 90.9% of isolates derived from intestinal contents in the CT-CD-FB group, which was higher than the 16.7% observed in the CT-CD-JK group. Antimicrobial susceptibility testing suggested a potential multidrug-resistance risk among the isolates; however, higher proportions of susceptible (S) isolates were observed for ceftriaxone (CTR), quinolones, aminoglycosides, and chloramphenicol (C). These preliminary findings suggest that gut dysbiosis, intestinal tissue injury, and a higher detection proportion of putative Vibrio harveyi were associated with intestinal exposure in this small cohort of naturally diseased hybrid porcupinefish, providing a basis for subsequent pathogen-verification studies and antimicrobial-susceptibility assessment.

Source: Microorganisms

DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms14081703

Authors: Xiaojie Bai, Zuoping Xie, Xiangyu Du, Fangyan Jiang, Ning Yang, Hai Huang

Institution: Hainan Tropical Ocean University

Language: English

Topic: Aquaculture disease management and microbiota

Subfield: Immunology

Field: Immunology and Microbiology

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,258