Intestinal microbiota in white spot syndrome virus infected red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) at different health statuses

Intestinal microbiota play an important role in animal health and disease. Until recently, the intestinal microbiota in white spot syndrome virus (WSSV)-infected red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) at different health statuses have not been studied. This study investigated the intestinal microbiota of healthy crayfish (HC), WSSVinfected active crayfish (IAC) and WSSV-infected diseased crayfish (IDC) by high throughput sequencing technology. The relative abundances of certain phyla changed significantly in WSSV-infected crayfish, shown as decreased Tenericutes and increased Proteobacteria in the IAC and IDC groups and increased Bacteroidetes in the IAC group. More core genera and the significantly increased relative abundance of Anaerorhabdus furcosa resulted in increased intestinal species diversity in the IAC group. The relative abundances of intestinal opportunistic Aeromonas, Citrobacter and WSSV loads significantly increased in the IDC group. The IDC group possessed three significantly increased level-2 KEGG pathways with relative abundances over 5%, including membrane transport, amino acids and carbohydrates metabolism, and the largest increased pathway was glycan biosynthesis and metabolism. The findings provide a basis for developing microbial strategies for the prevention and therapy of WSS disease.

Automated summary

This study investigated the intestinal microbiota of healthy crayfish, WSSV-infected active crayfish, and WSSV-infected diseased crayfish using high throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that WSSV infection led to significant changes in certain phyla in the intestines of crayfish, with implications for developing microbial strategies for the prevention and therapy of WSS disease.