CSIR Central

A study on bacteria associated with the intestinal tract of farmed yellow seahorse, Hippocampus kuda (Bleeker, 1852): Characterization and extracellular enzymes

IR@NIO: CSIR-National Institute Of Oceanography, Goa


Field	Value

Creator	Tanu Deobagkar, D.D. Khandeparker, R. Sreepada, R.A. Sanaye, S.V. Pawar, H.B.

Date	2011-04-08T10:53:04Z 2011-04-08T10:53:04Z 2011

Identifier	Aquaculture Research, vol.43(3); 2012; 386-394 http://drs.nio.org/drs/handle/2264/3833

Description	The microenvironment of bacteria associated with the gastrointestinal tract of an animal influences the host in many ways, including the metabolism of several nutrients. Isolation, molecular characterization and enzymatic activities of culturable bacteria associated with the gastrointestinal tract of hatcheryreared oceanic yellow seahorse, Hippocampus kuda, were investigated in the present study. 16S rRNA sequencing of bacterial isolates yielded 10 different bacterial genera belonging to two major groups: proteobacteria (62.9%) and firmicutes (37.03%). The predominant microbial flora belonged to the genera Vibrio spp., Enterovibrio sp. and Bacillus spp. Burkholderia cenocepacia, hitherto unreported from the gastrointestinal tract of marine fish, was retrieved from the seahorse gut, albeit in small numbers. Enzymatic studies indicated that the bacterial isolates possess the ability to degrade lipids, cellulose, xylan, starch and proteins. Lipase activity was exhibited by a majority of the isolates (70.4%), indicating that the bacterial flora associated with the intestinal tract of seahorses is capable of digesting foods rich in lipids. The possible implications for the role of these bacteria in the digestion and physiological processes are discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first time that the characterization and enzymatic activities of bacteria associated with the intestinal tract of farmed seahorses have been reported

Language	en

Publisher	Springer

Rights	An edited version of this paper was published by Blackwell. Copyright [2011] Blackwell

Subject	seahorse Hippocampus kuda enzymatic activities intestinal bacteria

Title	A study on bacteria associated with the intestinal tract of farmed yellow seahorse, Hippocampus kuda (Bleeker, 1852): Characterization and extracellular enzymes

Type	Journal Article