Bacterial diversity in the intestine of young farmed puffer fish Takifugu rubripes

The aim of the study was to examine the bacterial community associated with the intestinal mucus of young farmed puffer fish Takifugu rubripes. Polymerase chain reaction and partial 16 S r DNA sequencing was performed on DNA from bacteria cultivated on Zobell 2216 E medium. All the isolates were classified into two phyla—Proteobacteria and Firmicutes. Proteobacteria were the dominant, culturable intestinal microbiota(68.3%). At the genus level, V ibrio, Enterobacter, Bacillus, Pseudomonas, Exiguobacterium, Staphylococcus, Acinetobacter, Pseudoalteromonas and S hewanella were isolated from the intestine, with representatives of the genera V ibrio, Enterobacter and Bacillus accounting for 70.7% of the total. This is the first report of Enterobacter, Bacillus, Exiguobacterium and Staphylococcus as part of the intestinal bacterial microflora in T. rubripes. The profile of the culturable bacterial community differed between samples collected from the same tank at 2-month intervals, as indicated by Bray-Curtis and Sorensen indices, and the impact on the intestinal physiology and health of puffer fish requires further investigation.