Rich resource environment of fish farms facilitates phenotypic variation and virulence in an opportunistic fish pathogen.

ABSTRACT: Phenotypic variation is suggested to facilitate the persistence of environmentally growing pathogens under environmental change. Here, we hypothesized that the intensive farming environment induces higher phenotypic variation in microbial pathogens than natural environment, because of high stochasticity for growth and stronger survival selection compared to the natural environment. We tested the hypothesis with an opportunistic fish pathogen Flavobacterium columnare isolated either from fish farms or from natural waters. We measured growth parameters of two morphotypes from all isolates in different resource concentrations and two temperatures relevant for the occurrence of disease epidemics at farms and tested their virulence using a zebrafish (Danio rerio) infection model.

SUBMITTER: Pulkkinen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8965373 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature