The gastrointestinal phage communities of the cultivated freshwater fishes

The phage communities in the gut of 62 cultivated freshwater fish were investigated by culture-based methods. Using three selective media, 445 pathogenic bacilli strains were isolated and used as indicators for subsequent phage isolations. Totally, 63 phages were detected and the respective host strains were identified with the comparative sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene, including Aeromonas (29), Vibrio (1), Citrobacter (16), Serratia (4), Enterobacter (2), Proteus (3), Buttiauxella (2), Plesiomonas (2), Kluyvera (1), Morgenella (2) and Providencia (1). The diversity of Aeromonas phages was assessed by discrimination of their host strains with random amplified polymorphic DNA method. Furthermore, the isolated Aeromonas phages were characterized by host range and growth inhibition assay. The results demonstrated that there were abundant and diverse phage populations in the gut environment of the cultivated freshwater fishes. The phages could contribute to the microbiota balance in the gut ecosystem of fishes and provide reliable phage sources for future applications.