Impact of a reduced water salinity on the composition of Vibrio spp. in recirculating aquaculture systems for Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) and its possible risks for shrimp health and food safety

Tropical shrimp, like Litopenaeus vannamei, in land‐based recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS) are often kept at low water salinities to reduce costs for artificial sea salt and the amount of salty wastewater. Although these shrimp are tolerant against low salinities, innate immunity suppression and changes in the microbial composition in the water can occur. As especially Vibrio spp. are relevant for shrimp health, alterations in the species composition of the Vibrio community were analysed in water from six RAS, run at 15‰ or 30‰. Additionally, pathogenicity factors including pirA/B, VPI, toxR, toxS, vhh, vfh, tdh, trh, flagellin genes and T6SS1/2 of V. parahaemolyticus were analysed. The Vibrio composition differed significantly depending on water salinity. In RAS at 15‰, higher numbers of the potentially pathogenic species V. parahaemolyticus, V. owensii and V. campbellii were detected, and especially in V. parahaemolyticus, various pathogenicity factors were present. A reduced salinity may therefore pose a higher risk of disease outbreaks in shrimp RAS. Because some of the detected pathogenicity factors are relevant for human health, this might also affect food safety. In order to produce healthy shrimp as a safe food for human consumption, maintaining high water salinities seems to be recommendable.     

Hydrogen peroxide oxygenation and disinfection capacity in recirculating aquaculture systems

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) treatment is an alternative for disinfection in aquaculture, which may be advantageous as it dissociates and disinfects while increasing water oxygen concentration. Yet, accurate dosing remains undeveloped in Recirculating Aquaculture Systems (RAS). Dosage requirements can depend on organic burden, stocking density, feeding frequency, salinity, temperature and biofilter performance. The present case study investigated the dual effect of H₂O₂ application for oxygen enrichment and disinfection when continuously applied to a RAS rearing European seabass. H₂O₂ addition equivalent to 2.4 and 15.8 H₂O₂ mg L⁻¹ were applied for 4 h per day in three 5-days experiments. H₂O₂ was injected at the inlet of protein skimmer and/or the rearing tanks in or without combination with traditional disinfection methods. Water microbial load and oxygen saturation were determined, along with stress markers glucose and cortisol in blood plasma of fish. Doses of 15.8 mg L⁻¹ H₂O₂ steadily increased oxygen levels in holding tank water from ∼50 % to over 100 % saturation while reducing microbial load (from 604.4 CFU ml⁻¹ in the rearing tanks before dosing to 159.8 CFU ml⁻¹ after application), achieving suitable conditions for commercial fish densities in RAS. The doses used had negligible impact on biofilter performance and did not affect the fish in terms of stress. Overall results indicate H₂O₂ is effective for disinfection and oxygenation of RAS systems when applied at appropriate dosage and we recommend the protein skimmer as the safest position in order to protect the bacterial community of the biofilters and the reared fish.     

UV treatment in RAS influences the rearing water microbiota and reduces the survival of European lobster larvae (Homarus gammarus)

The rearing environment is important for a stable production of good quality lobster juveniles. By providing an environment excluding pathogens and dominated by mutualistic bacteria, the probability of developing healthy host-microbe relationships and produce healthy juveniles is increased. Disinfection of water and sudden increase in the supply of organic matter in culture tanks are processes that open for uncontrolled microbial regrowth in the rearing water. This increase the variability in the development of the microbiota between replicate rearing tanks and promotes selection for potentially harmful opportunistic bacteria. In two start feeding experiments with European lobster (Homarus gammarus) we compared the bacterial environment in three types of rearing systems: a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) with UV treatment directly in front of the rearing raceways, a RAS without disinfection, and a conventional flow through system (FTS). The RAS with no disinfection was hypothesised to stabilise the microbiota of the rearing water, select against opportunistic bacteria, and reduce variability in production outcome between replicate tanks compared to the other systems. As predicted, the three different systems developed significantly different compositions of the microbiota in the rearing water and the larvae. On average, the survival of larvae in RAS without disinfection increased with 43 and 275 %, in the first experiment, and 64 and 18 % in the second experiment, compared to RAS with UV and FTS, respectively. Also, the RAS without disinfection showed less variability in the survival of larvae between replicate tanks and batches compared to the other treatments. The results are promising for controlling the microbiota of the rearing water to improve, increase and stabilise the production of marine larvae by competent use of water treatment and selection regimes. Based on the presented and previous work, RAS is recommended over FTS, and in RAS it is recommended to avoid point-disinfection of the recirculating water, to provide a stable and beneficial microbial environment in the cultivation of marine larvae.     

二氧化氯消毒对循环水养殖系统的影响评价

使用质量浓度1mg/L的二氧化氯对循环水养殖池进行月1次、分2d进行的直接泼洒消毒试验,从杀菌效果、对生物膜的损害程度及对养殖鱼体生活状态的影响3个方面进行二氧化氯消毒对循环水养殖系统的影响评价。在第一次消毒前及消毒后24h时,第二次消毒前(即第一次消毒后48h时)及第二次消毒后24h时分别进行水样采集,测定养殖水体的异养菌总数变化,结果显示,第一次消毒后24h时水体的异养菌总数较消毒前有极显著降低(P0.01),而48h时降低不显著(P0.05),第二次消毒后亦变化不显著(P0.05)。同时分析了消毒前后2个月内的养殖水体氨氮、亚硝酸盐氮含量的变化情况,以间接评价二氧化氯对循环系统生物膜的损害性大小。结果显示,在消毒工作完成后7d时水体氨氮、亚硝酸盐含量有明显上升,分别由消毒前的1.0mg/L、0.30mg/L升至1.25mg/L、0.36mg/L的水平,持续约10d才开始降低恢复。在消毒前后观察鱼体生长状态及摄食量结果显示,水体消毒对鱼体状态及摄食量无明显影响(P0.05)。研究表明,在循环水养殖系统中质量浓度为1mg/L的二氧化氯消毒可极显著降低异养菌总数,对鱼体生长状态及摄食量无明显影响,但对生物膜有轻微的损害作用,在养殖生产中应规范使用。