Characterization of the bacterial community associated with early‐developmental stages of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella)

Bacterial communities in eggs and larvae of grass carp were analysed. During the early‐developmental stages, grass carp harboured five bacterial phyla, i.e. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, Planctomycetes and Firmicutes. However, the composition of bacterial communities varied among the different developmental stages. In eggs, the bacterial communities were dominated by Proteobacteria, while in larvae the dominant bacterial community was Bacterioidetes. With the exception of a large proportion (>50%) of uncultured bacteria, Sphingobacterium (14.75%) and Acinetobacter (13.11%) were the most abundant groups in eggs at the fertilization stage (FS). However, Aermonas was the most abundant group, ranging from 40.54% to 61.76% in eggs at the cleavage (CS), blastula (BS), organ differentiation (ODS) and hatching stages (HS). In larvae after first ingestion (OW), Chitinophagaceae (79.41%) formed the predominant bacterial community. Changes in the bacterial community were further confirmed by statistical analysis, which demonstrated significant differences in the bacterial communities of eggs at FS, eggs from CS to HS and OW. However, no significant difference was found in bacterial communities of eggs from CS to HS. Furthermore, the present study revealed that bacteria related to Chitinophagaceae persisted from CS to OW, suggesting that these bacteria form part of the autochthonous microbiota of the fish.