Can probiotics and prebiotics make salmon farming more sustainable?
To answer this important question, we first need to learn more about the bacteria living in the salmon gut — who they are and what they do?
Until now, most research on salmon gut bacteria has focused on identifying which bacteria are present, without assessing what they actually do.
Researchers at NMBU, including CIGENE’s Arturo Vera-Ponce de Leon and Simen Sandve, have started to meet this challenge. By using metagenomics and traditional cultivation methods, they have recovered and cataloged 211 different genomes of bacteria living in the gut of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), collectively referred to as ‘the Salmon Microbial Genome Atlas (SMGA)’. These gut bacteria were identified from both wild and aquaculture populations collected in fresh and marine water, and include, 29 previously undescribed species.
Potential benefits of gut bacteria in salmon
Thanks to cutting-edge omics techniques (i.e. metatranscriptomics and metabolomics) the researchers have identified some potential beneficial bacteria (e.g. Photobacterium, Serratia and Pseudomonas) capable of breaking down fibers and releasing vitamins and other beneficial dietary constituents (e.g. GABA) to the salmon gut environment. This knowledge gives us a clearer picture of the potentially critical role played by the microbiome in regulating salmon physiology.
The SMGA as a resource for future research
The SMGA represents a valuable resource for the aquaculture research community, giving scientists detailed information about the bacteria in salmon guts and how they might function. This database can help researchers study how different bacteria interact with salmon and influence their health.
For more information, the full manuscript is available on the Nature Microbiology website: