Impacts of Aquaculture Environment on the Microbial Community Composition in the Digestive Tracts of Litopenaeus Vannamei

Abstract

The aquaculture environment exerts a profound influence on the microbial communities residing in the digestive tracts of the shrimp. In this study, we analyzed the bacterial loads and communities in the stomach, intestines, hepatopancreas, water, and sediment of Litopenaeus vannamei from diverse culture environments. Additionally, we examined the distribution of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in the digestive systems of the shrimp under ammonia-nitrogen and nitrites-nitrogen stress after oral administration of the bacterium. The results demonstrated that the aquaculture environment not only influenced the bacterial loads in the digestive system of the shrimp, but also affected the composition of its microbial community. Changes in the aquaculture environment could result in alterations in bacterial loads and communities within the digestive systems of the shrimp. Under minimal external stress, hepatopancreatic bacteria could be purified, making them undetectable by generalized primers. However, under ammonia-nitrogen or nitrite-nitrogen stress, the bacteria can swiftly enter the hepatopancreas, potentially serving as a source of microbial community and a potential pathway for the infection of the shrimp, which is warranted to elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying this process.

Keywords: Litopenaeus vannamei, bacterial community, digestive system, hepatopancreas, external stress