The Prebiotic Effect of an Organic Acid Mixture on Faecalibacterium prausnitzii Metabolism and Its Anti-Pathogenic Role against Vibrio parahaemolyticus in Shrimp
Publication history: Accepted - 27 December 2022; Published - 29 December 2022.Increasing the abundance of probiotic bacteria in the gut requires either direct dietary
supplementation or the inclusion of feed additives able to support the growth of beneficial commensal
bacteria. In crustaceans, the increased presence of probiotic-like bacteria in the gut, including of
Faecalibacterium prausnitzii (F. prausnitzii), will guarantee a positive health status and a gut environment
that will ensure enhanced performance. The aim of this study was to investigate if a mixture of organic
acids, AuraAqua (Aq) can stimulate the growth and the anti-pathogenic efficacy of F. prausnitzii
through a combination of in vitro and ex vivo models. The results showed that 0.5% Aq was able
to improve the growth rate of F. prausnitzii in vitro and in an ex vivo shrimp gut model. Moreover,
we were able to demonstrate that Aq increases butyrate production and cellulose degradation in
culture or in the shrimp gut model. The growth-stimulating effect of Aq also led to an improved
and anti-pathogenic effect against Vibrio parahaemolyticus in a co-culture experiment with shrimp gut
primary epithelial cells (SGP). In conclusion, our work demonstrates that Aq can stimulate the growth
of F. prausnitzii, increase the production of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) butyrate, improve substrate
digestion, and prevent V. parahaemolyticus invasion of SGP cells.We acknowledge Environtech, Dublin, Ireland for funding the PhD of Eugenia Butucel.
Grant number 49650