A1 Journal article (refereed)
Intensive aquaculture selects for increased virulence and interference competition in bacteria (2016)

Sundberg, L.-R., Ketola, T., Laanto, E., Kinnula, H., Bamford, J., Penttinen, R., & Mappes, J. (2016). Intensive aquaculture selects for increased virulence and interference competition in bacteria. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 283(1826), Article 20153069. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.3069

JYU authors or editors

Publication details

All authors or editors: Sundberg, Lotta-Riina; Ketola, Tarmo; Laanto, Elina; Kinnula, Hanna; Bamford, Jaana; Penttinen, Reetta; Mappes, Johanna

Journal or series: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences

ISSN: 0962-8452

eISSN: 1471-2954

Publication year: 2016

Volume: 283

Issue number: 1826

Article number: 20153069

Publisher: The Royal Society Publishing

Place of Publication: Lontoo

Publication country: United Kingdom

Publication language: English

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2015.3069

Research data link: http://dx.doi.org/10.5061/dryad.nk76k

Publication open access: Not open

Publication channel open access: 

Publication is parallel published (JYX): https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/55903

Abstract

Although increased disease severity driven by intensive farming practices is problematic in food production, the role of evolutionary change in disease is not well understood in these environments. Experiments on parasite evolution are traditionally conducted using laboratory models, often unrelated to economically important systems. We compared how the virulence, growth and competitive ability of a globally important fish pathogen, Flavobacterium columnare, change under intensive aquaculture. We characterized bacterial isolates from disease outbreaks at fish farms during 2003–2010, and compared F. columnare populations in inlet water and outlet water of a fish farm during the 2010 outbreak. Our data suggest that the farming environment may select for bacterial strains that have high virulence at both long and short time scales, and it seems that these strains have also evolved increased ability for interference competition. Our results are consistent with the suggestion that selection pressures at fish farms can cause rapid changes in pathogen populations, which are likely to have long-lasting evolutionary effects on pathogen virulence. A better understanding of these evolutionary effects will be vital in prevention and control of disease outbreaks to secure food production.

Keywords: aquaculture; evolution; virulence

Free keywords: fish farming; Flavobacterium columnare; pathogen

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Related projects

Ministry reporting: Yes

VIRTA submission year: 2016

JUFO rating: 3