Antimicrobial-producing bacteria from fish epidermal mucus alter the fish epidermal bacterial flora and host resistance to infection.

ABSTRACT: The emergence of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in aquaculture has raised the need for alternative strategies to control fish infections. Antimicrobial-producing bacteria have been explored as probiotics or biocontrol agents, but their mechanisms of action and impact on host-associated microbiota remain poorly understood. Here, we identified Pseudomonas mosselii KH-ZF1, a bacterium isolated from fish epidermal mucus, as a producer of antimicrobial substances. When applied to zebrafish, strain KH-ZF1 transiently adhered to the epidermal mucus and altered the composition of the skin microbiota. Under an appropriate administration condition, strain KH-ZF1 treatment significantly improved survival in zebrafish infected with Yersinia ruckeri and suppressed pathogen growth on the

SUBMITTER: Nakatani H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12628852 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature