scholarly journals Description of the microbiota in epidermal mucus and skin of sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum and Negaprion brevirostris) and one stingray (Hypanus americanus)

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e10240
Author(s):  
Susana Caballero ◽  
Ana Maria Galeano ◽  
Juan Diego Lozano ◽  
Martha Vives

Skin mucus in fish is the first barrier between the organism and the environment but the role of skin mucus in protecting fish against pathogens is not well understood. During copulation in sharks, the male bites the female generating wounds, which are then highly likely to become infected by opportunistic bacteria from the water or from the male shark’s mouth. Describing the microbial component of epithelial mucus may allow future understanding of this first line of defense in sharks. In this study, we analyzed mucus and skin samples obtained from 19 individuals of two shark species and a stingray: the nurse shark (Ginglymostoma cirratum), the lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) and the southern stingray (Hypanus americanus). Total DNA was extracted from all samples, and the bacterial 16S rRNA gene (region V3-V4) was amplified and sequenced on the Ion Torrent Platform. Bacterial diversity (order) was higher in skin and mucus than in water. Order composition was more similar between the two shark species. Alpha-diversities (Shannon and Simpson) for OTUs (clusters of sequences defined by a 97% identity threshold for the16S rRNA gene) were high and there were non-significant differences between elasmobranch species or types of samples. We found orders of potentially pathogenic bacteria in water samples collected from the area where the animals were found, such as Pasteurellales (i.e., genus Pasteurella spp. and Haemophilus spp.) and Oceanospirillales (i.e., genus Halomonas spp.) but these were not found in the skin or mucus samples from any species. Some bacterial orders, such as Flavobacteriales, Vibrionales (i.e., genus Pseudoalteromonas), Lactobacillales and Bacillales were found only in mucus and skin samples. However, in a co-occurrence analyses, no significant relationship was found among these orders (strength less than 0.6, p-value > 0.01) but significant relationships were found among the order Trembayales, Fusobacteriales, and some previously described marine environmental Bacteria and Archaea, including Elusimicrobiales, Thermoproteales, Deinococcales and Desulfarculales. This is the first study focusing on elasmobranch microbial communities. The functional role and the benefits of these bacteria still needs understanding as well as the potential changes to microbial communities as a result of changing environmental conditions.

1981 ◽  
Vol 59 (3) ◽  
pp. 560-564 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. W. Gilbert ◽  
J. G. Sivak ◽  
R. E. Pelham

Pupil response was studied photographically in four shark species: Ginglymostoma cirratum, Carcharhinus milberti, Negaprion brevirostris, and Galeocerdo cuvieri. Constriction and dilation take place in significantly less than 1 min in three of the four species. These rates suggest that pupil control is neuromuscular in some sharks.


Foods ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 671
Author(s):  
Faidra Syropoulou ◽  
Foteini F. Parlapani ◽  
Stefanos Kakasis ◽  
George-John E. Nychas ◽  
Ioannis S. Boziaris

The cultivable microbiota isolated from three sea bass products (whole, gutted, and filleted fish from the same batch) during chilled storage and the effect of primary processing on microbial communities in gutted and filleted fish were studied. Microbiological and sensory changes were also monitored. A total of 200 colonies were collected from TSA plates at the beginning and the end of fish shelf-life, differentiated by High Resolution Sequencing (HRM) and identified by sequencing analysis of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene. Pseudomonas spp. followed by potential pathogenic bacteria were initially found, while Pseudomonasgessardii followed by other Pseudomonas or Shewanella species dominated at the end of fish shelf-life. P. gessardii was the most dominant phylotype in the whole sea bass, P. gessardii and S. baltica in gutted fish, while P. gessardii and P. fluorescens were the most dominant bacteria in sea bass fillets. To conclude, primary processing and storage affect microbial communities of gutted and filleted fish compared to the whole fish. HRM analysis can easily differentiate bacteria isolated from fish products and reveal the contamination due to handling and/or processing, and so help stakeholders to immediately tackle problems related with microbial quality or safety of fish.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanqing Lian ◽  
Lisha Zhen ◽  
Xi Chen ◽  
Yang Li ◽  
Xiaona Li

Abstract Water samples for the 16S rRNA gene and water quality analyses were collected from around 155 kilometers of river segments surrounding the urban areas in Xi’an of China. Multiple statistical analyses showed the temporal dynamics of microbial communities and heterogeneity in their spatial distributions. The dynamic shifts of microbial communities in the Chan, Ba, and Feng Rivers from the Spring to the Summer seasons were apparent, but little in the Zao River. The heterogeneity of microbial distributions was more due to the influence of hydrologic conditions and various sources of inflows in the rivers. The LEfSe analysis showed the Chan and Zao Rivers, both were more impacted by the sewage effluents, were more differentially abundant with bacteria related to polluted water, but the Ba and Feng Rivers, both on the outer side of the city, were more abundant with microbial communities in soil and freshwater environments in August. Multiple statistical analyses indicated that environmental variables had a significant impact on microbial communities. The GIS-based spatial analysis not only showed heterogeneity of microbial community distributions along the rivers, more importantly, could help identify locations where pathogenic bacteria presented.


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (10) ◽  
pp. 2406-2412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eckart Zeiske ◽  
Birgit Theisen ◽  
Samuel H. Gruber

The paired olfactory organs of both the lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) and the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis) are located in solid cartilaginous nasal capsules, which open at the ventral side of the snout and are entirely separate from the mouth. The olfactory rosette consists of two rows of lamellae arising from a central raphe. The lamellae possess secondary folds covered with sensory epithelium, which contains microvillous receptor cells, supporting cells with both cilia and microvilli, basal cells, and goblet cells. No ciliated receptor cells were found. Gaps between facing lamellae connect the inlet chamber with the outlet chamber. The inlet chamber receives the ventilatory water through the incurrent nostril and the outlet chamber discharges the water through the excurrent nostril. A nasal flap, a septum, and paired valve flaps form an incomplete barrier between incurrent and excurrent nostrils and may have hydrodynamic functions, which are discussed.


2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. T. Kessel ◽  
S. H. Gruber ◽  
K. S. Gledhill ◽  
M. E. Bond ◽  
R. G. Perkins

Aerial survey provides an important tool to assess the abundance of both terrestrial and marine vertebrates. To date, limited work has tested the effectiveness of this technique to estimate the abundance of smaller shark species. In Bimini, Bahamas, the lemon shark (Negaprion brevirostris) shows high site fidelity to a shallow sandy lagoon, providing an ideal test species to determine the effectiveness of localised aerial survey techniques for a Carcharhinid species in shallow subtropical waters. Between September 2007 and September 2008, visual surveys were conducted from light aircraft following defined transects ranging in length between 8.8 and 4.4 km. Count results were corrected for “availability”, “perception”, and “survey intensity” to provide unbiased abundance estimates. The abundance of lemon sharks was greatest in the central area of the lagoon during high tide, with a change in abundance distribution to the east and western regions of the lagoon with low tide. Mean abundance of sharks was estimated at 49 (±8.6) individuals, and monthly abundance was significantly positively correlated with mean water temperature. The successful implementation of the aerial survey technique highlighted the potential of further employment for shark abundance assessments in shallow coastal marine environments.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachael Storo ◽  
Cole Easson ◽  
Mahmood Shivji ◽  
Jose V. Lopez

Profiles of symbiotic microbial communities (“microbiomes”) can provide insight into the natural history and ecology of their hosts. Using high throughput DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 region, microbiomes of five shark species in South Florida (nurse, lemon, sandbar, Caribbean reef, and tiger) have been characterized for the first time. The microbiomes show species specific microbiome composition, distinct from surrounding seawater. Shark anatomical location (gills, teeth, skin, cloaca) affected the diversity of microbiomes. An in-depth analysis of teeth communities revealed species specific microbial communities. For example, the genus Haemophilus, explained 7.0% of the differences of the teeth microbiomes of lemon and Caribbean reef sharks. Lemon shark teeth communities (n = 11) contained a high abundance of both Vibrio (10.8 ± 26.0%) and Corynebacterium (1.6 ± 5.1%), genera that can include human pathogenic taxa. The Vibrio (2.8 ± 6.34%) and Kordia (3.1 ± 6.0%) genera and Salmonella enterica (2.6 ± 6.4%) were the most abundant members of nurse shark teeth microbial communities. The Vibrio genus was highly represented in the sandbar shark (54.0 ± 46.0%) and tiger shark (5.8 ± 12.3%) teeth microbiomes. The prevalence of genera containing potential human pathogens could be informative in shark bite treatment protocols and future research to confirm or deny human pathogenicity. We conclude that South Florida sharks host species specific microbiomes that are distinct from their surrounding environment and vary due to differences in microbial community composition among shark species and diversity and composition among anatomical locations. Additionally, when considering the confounding effects of both species and location, microbial community diversity and composition varies.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lampet Wongsaroj ◽  
Ratmanee Chanabun ◽  
Naruemon Tunsakul ◽  
Pinidphon Prombutara ◽  
Somsak Panha ◽  
...  

AbstractNortheastern Thailand relies on agriculture as a major economic activity, and has used high levels of agrochemicals due to low facility, and salty sandy soil. To support soil recovery and sustainable agriculture, local farmers have used organic fertilizers from farmed animal feces. However, knowledge about these animal fecal manures remains minimal restricting their optimal use. Specifically, while bacteria are important for soil and plant growth, an abundance and a diversity of bacterial composition in these animal fecal manures have not been reported to allow selection and adjustment for a more effective organic fertilizer. This study thereby utilized metagenomics combined with 16S rRNA gene quantitative PCR (qPCR) and sequencing to analyze quantitative microbiota profiles in association with nutrients (N, P, K), organic matters, and the other physiochemical properties, of the commonly used earthworm manure and other manures from livestock animals (including breed and feeding diet variations) in the region. Unlike the other manures, the earthworm manure demonstrated more favorable nutrient profiles and physiochemical properties for forming fertile soil. Despite low total microbial biomass, the microbiota were enriched with maximal OTUs and Chao richness, and no plant pathogenic bacteria were found based on the VFDB database. The microbial metabolic potentials supported functions to promote crop growth, such as C, N and P cyclings, xenobiotic degradation, and synthesis of bioactive compounds. Pearson’s correlation analyses indicated that the quantitative microbiota of the earthworm manure were clustered in the same direction as N, and conductivity, salinity, and water content were essential to control the microbiota of animal manures.


Author(s):  
N. Alshammari ◽  
Meshari Alazmi ◽  
Naimah A. Alanazi ◽  
Abdel Moneim E. Sulieman ◽  
Vajid N. Veettil ◽  
...  

AbstractSeveral studies have investigated palm trees’ microbiota infected with red palm weevil (RPW) (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), the major pest of palm trees. This study compared the microbial communities of infected and uninfected palm trees in the Hail region, Northern Saudi Arabia, determined by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing by Illumina MiSeq. The results indicated that taxonomic diversity variation was higher for infected tree trunk than the healthy tree trunk. Soil samples from the vicinity of healthy and infected trees did not have a significant variation in bacterial diversity. Myxococcota, Acidobacteriota, and Firmicutes were the dominant phyla in RPW-infected tree trunk, and Pseudomonadaceae was the most prominent family. This study is the first report on the characterization of RPW-infected and healthy palm trees’ microbiome.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Han ◽  
Peter S. Thuy-Boun ◽  
Wayne Pfeiffer ◽  
Vincent F. Vartabedian ◽  
Ali Torkamani ◽  
...  

AbstractN-Acetylneuraminic acid is the most abundant sialic acid (SA) in humans and is expressed as the terminal sugar on intestinal mucus glycans. Several pathogenic bacteria harvest and display host SA on their own surfaces to evade Siglec-mediated host immunity. While previous studies have identified bacterial enzymes associated with SA catabolism, no reported methods permit the selective labeling, tracking, and quantitation of SA-presenting microbes within complex multi-microbial systems. We combined metabolic labeling, click chemistry, 16S rRNA gene, and whole-genome sequencing to track and identify SA-presenting microbes from a cultured human fecal microbiome. We isolated a new strain of Escherichia coli that incorporates SA onto its own surface and encodes for the nanT, neuA, and neuS genes necessary for harvesting and presenting SA. Our method is applicable to the identification of SA-presenting bacteria from human, animal, and environmental microbiomes, as well as providing an entry point for the investigation of surface-expressed SA-associated structures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 1293
Author(s):  
Ana Eusébio ◽  
André Neves ◽  
Isabel Paula Marques

Olive oil and pig productions are important industries in Portugal that generate large volumes of wastewater with high organic load and toxicity, raising environmental concerns. The principal objective of this study is to energetically valorize these organic effluents—piggery effluent and olive mill wastewater—through the anaerobic digestion to the biogas/methane production, by means of the effluent complementarity concept. Several mixtures of piggery effluent were tested, with an increasing percentage of olive mill wastewater. The best performance was obtained for samples of piggery effluent alone and in admixture with 30% of OMW, which provided the same volume of biogas (0.8 L, 70% CH4), 63/75% COD removal, and 434/489 L CH4/kg SVin, respectively. The validation of the process was assessed by molecular evaluation through Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) of the 16S rRNA gene. The structure of the microbial communities for both samples, throughout the anaerobic process, was characterized by the predominance of bacterial populations belonging to the phylum Firmicutes, mainly Clostridiales, with Bacteroidetes being the subdominant populations. Archaea populations belonging to the genus Methanosarcina became predominant throughout anaerobic digestion, confirming the formation of methane mainly from acetate, in line with the greatest removal of volatile fatty acids (VFAs) in these samples.


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