Open AccessBacterial microflora in the gastro‐intestinal tract of Dover sole ( Solea solea L.), with emphasis on the possible role of bacteria in the nutrition of the host
Author(s) -
MacDonald N.L.,
Stark J.R.,
Austin B.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
fems microbiology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.899
H-Index - 151
eISSN - 1574-6968
pISSN - 0378-1097
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6968.1986.tb01508.x
Subject(s) - biology , microbiology and biotechnology , hindgut , foregut , photobacterium , bacteria , aeromonas caviae , vibrio , flavobacterium , aeromonas salmonicida , aeromonas , vibrionaceae , cytophaga , moraxella , vibrio anguillarum , midgut , aerobic bacteria , micrococcus , zoology , ecology , anatomy , larva , pseudomonas , genetics
There was a progressive increase in the size of the aerobic heterotrophic bacterial populations along the gastro‐intestinal tract of farmed Dover sole. Moreover, higher counts were recorded in juvenile than in adult animals. Thus, in juvenile fish, 5.2 × 10 5 , 8.0 × 10 5 and 9.8 × 10 6 aerobic heterotrophs/g were recovered from the stomach/foregut, midgut and hindgut/rectum, respectively. In adult fish, comparative samples revealed the presence of only 3.0 × 10 4 , 7.0 × 10 4 and 2.3 × 10 5 bacteria/g, respectively. There bacteria were equated with Acinetobacter, Alcaligenes , Enterobacteriaceae representatives, Flavobacterium, Micrococcus, Photobacterium, Staphylococcus and Vibrio . Of the compounds tested, many isolates, particularly those recovered from the hindgut/rectum, degraded p ‐nitrophenyl‐ β ‐ N ‐acetylglucosaminide, chitin and collagen. Consequently, it is likely that such organisms may contribute to nutritional processes within Dover sole.