Insights into the microbiome of farmed Asian sea bass (Lates calcarifer) with symptoms of tenacibaculosis and description of Tenacibaculum singaporense sp. nov.

Outbreaks of diseases in farmed fish remain a recurring problem despite the development of vaccines and improved hygiene standards on aquaculture farms. One commonly observed bacterial disease in tropical aquaculture of the South-East Asian region is tenacibaculosis, which is attributed to members of the genus Tenacibaculum (family Flavobacteriaceae, phylum Bacteroidetes), most notably Tenacibaculum maritimum. The impact of tenacibaculosis on the fish microbiota remains poorly understood. In this study, we analysed the microbiota of different tissues of commercially reared Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) that showed symptoms of tenacibaculosis and compared the microbial communities to those of healthy and experimentally infected fish that were exposed to diseased farmed fish. The relative abundance of Tenacibaculum species in experimentally infected fish was significantly lower than in commercially reared diseased fish and revealed a higher prevalence of different Tenacibaculum species. One isolated strain, TLL-A2(T), shares 98.7% 16S rRNA gene identity with Tenacibaculum mesophilum DSM 13764(T). The genome of strain TLL-A2(T) was sequenced and compared to that of T. mesophilum DSM 13764(T). Analysis of average nucleotide identity and comparative genome analysis revealed only 92% identity between T. mesophilum DSM 13764(T) and strain TLL-A2(T) and differences between the two strains in predicted carbohydrate activating enzymes respectively. Phenotypic comparison between strain TLL-A2(T) and T. mesophilum DSM 13764(T) indicated additional differences, such as growth response at different salt concentrations. Based on molecular and phenotypic differences, strain TLL-A2(T) (=DSM 106434(T), KCTC 62393(T)) is proposed as the type strain of Tenacibaculum singaporense sp. nov.