Microbial community diversity associated with healthy and unhealthy shrimp (early mortality syndrome) at Malaysian shrimp farm

Microbial community diversity of healthy and unhealthy shrimp (Penaeus vannamei) with early mortality syndrome (EMS), collected from shrimp farms in Kedah and Penang, Malaysia, were examined using a cultivation method and 16S rRNA gene analysis. This study aimed to describe and identify the major abundance of shrimp’s microbial communities and its relationship with shrimp health status (healthy or unhealthy with EMS). In 16S rRNA gene analysis of metagenomic and culturable bacterial numbers, these were found to differ between healthy and unhealthy cases, whereby the bacterial community diversity might have potentially contributed to the health status. The results revealed significant differences by healthy status and by sampling time. Based on the results, the bacterial communities of healthy shrimp were composed of members of the genera Pseudomonas (32% of the total reads), Photobacterium (21% of the total reads), Acinetobacter (15% of the total reads) and Vibrio (10% of the total reads). Meanwhile, the members of the genera Vibrio (40% of the total reads), Photobacterium (25% of the total reads), Pseudomonas (10% of the total reads) and Paracoccus (7% of the total reads), were greatly predominant in unhealthy shrimp with EMS, with highly dynamic bacterial communities.