Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) in bioflocs alters intestinal microbial community structure, immune-related gene expression and early Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 replication in gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio)

Abstract

The aquaculture system based on biofloc technology (BFT) showed positive effects on prevention of Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) infection in gibel carp (Carassius auratus gibelio), which is detrimental to health and causes seriously economic losses to aquaculture. However, the enhancement mechanism of BFT regarding immunity and disease resistance of cultured species is scarce. Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) has been proved as one of bioactive compounds in bioflocs. In this study, two groups (4% PHB supplementation diets and control with basal diets) with 30-day feeding were set to study the effect of PHB supplementation on immune-related gene expression by qRT-PCR, time-course CyHV-2 replication in vivo by qPCR and intestinal microbiota by illumine high-throughput sequencing. PHB supplementation significantly up-regulated transcriptional levels of eight immune-related genes, decreased cumulative mortality of gibel carp and early CyHV-2 replication in spleen in vivo (P < 0.05). Additionally, PHB changed the microbial structure but not diversity, and significantly increased beneficial bacteria such as Bacillus sp. KEGG pathway analysis by PICRUSt demonstrated that oral administration of PHB up-regulated abundances of genes responsible for seven pathways and down-regulated genes in eleven pathways. Histological structures of foregut, mindgut and hindgut were also affected. Our findings suggested that profitable effects of PHB on immunity and disease resistance might be gut microbiota-related, and regulated through pathways of enzymes secretion, replication and repair, and host immune system. This study will provide new insights into understanding the enhancing mechanism of BFT on immunity and disease resistance of cultured animals, and developing prebiotics/probiotics-based immunotherapies to improve animal health and disease resistance.

Keywords: Biofloc technology (BFT); CyHV-2; Cyprinid fish; Disease resistance; Intestinal microbiota; Poly-β-hydroxybutyrate (PHB).