TY - JOUR
T1 - Digital droplet PCR-based environmental DNA tool for monitoring Cryptocaryon irritans in a marine fish farm from Hong Kong
AU - Tsang, Hin Hung
AU - Domingos, Jose A.
AU - Westaway, Jacob A.F.
AU - Kam, Maximilian H.Y.
AU - Huerlimann, Roger
AU - Bastos Gomes, Giana
N1 - Funding Information:
This research was funded by Sea Pact grant (https://www.seapact.org/) (accessed on 29 July 2021), grant number 9231354_City University of Hong Kong and CityU internal grant 9610448.
Funding Information:
Acknowledgments: This project was supported by the Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong. We thank Aqua Millenium farm and Bio-Rad Pacific Ltd. for support and assistance during this study.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Copyright:
Copyright 2021 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2021
Y1 - 2021
N2 - The adoption of new investigative strategies based on environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to monitor parasites, associated bacterial microbiomes, and physical-chemical parameters in fish farms. In this study, we used the economically important and globally distributed fish ciliate parasite Cryptocaryon irritans as a model to understand the parasite abundance and potential drivers of its presence in marine fish farms. Environmental (rainfall) and physical-chemical (temperature, oxygen, salinity, pH) data collected from a marine fish farm in Hong Kong were analyzed together with the eDNA approach targeting C. irritans abundance based on digital droplet PCR and 16S metagenomics to determine associations and triggers between parasites and specific bacterial groups. Rainfall and temperature demonstrated positive associations with high abundance of C. irritans (eDNA) at the studied marine fish cage farm. However, rainfall was the only parameter tested that demonstrated a significant association with parasite eDNA, indicating that the raining season is a risky period for fish farmers in Hong Kong. Coraliomargarita was the bacterial genus with the most significant relationship with low abundance of C. irritans in water. Understanding the environmental triggers of ciliate parasites propagation and associated bacterial microbiome could elucidate new insights into environmental control, microbial management, and promote the reduction of chemical use in marine fish farms.
AB - The adoption of new investigative strategies based on environmental DNA (eDNA) can be used to monitor parasites, associated bacterial microbiomes, and physical-chemical parameters in fish farms. In this study, we used the economically important and globally distributed fish ciliate parasite Cryptocaryon irritans as a model to understand the parasite abundance and potential drivers of its presence in marine fish farms. Environmental (rainfall) and physical-chemical (temperature, oxygen, salinity, pH) data collected from a marine fish farm in Hong Kong were analyzed together with the eDNA approach targeting C. irritans abundance based on digital droplet PCR and 16S metagenomics to determine associations and triggers between parasites and specific bacterial groups. Rainfall and temperature demonstrated positive associations with high abundance of C. irritans (eDNA) at the studied marine fish cage farm. However, rainfall was the only parameter tested that demonstrated a significant association with parasite eDNA, indicating that the raining season is a risky period for fish farmers in Hong Kong. Coraliomargarita was the bacterial genus with the most significant relationship with low abundance of C. irritans in water. Understanding the environmental triggers of ciliate parasites propagation and associated bacterial microbiome could elucidate new insights into environmental control, microbial management, and promote the reduction of chemical use in marine fish farms.
KW - Aquaculture
KW - Bacterial microbiome
KW - Biomonitoring
KW - Ciliate parasites
KW - eDNA
KW - Marine fish parasite
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85112613972&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.3390/d13080350
DO - 10.3390/d13080350
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85112613972
VL - 13
SP - 1
EP - 15
JO - Diversity
JF - Diversity
SN - 1424-2818
IS - 8
M1 - 350
ER -