Streptococcus parauberis is an important bacterial fish pathogen that causes streptococcosis in a variety of fish species including the olive flounder. Despite its importance in the aquaculture industry, little is known about the survival strategy of S. parauberis in the host. Therefore, the objective of this study was to produce genome-wide transcriptome data and identify key factors for the survival of S. parauberis SPOF3K in its host. To this end, S. parauberis SPOF3K was incubated in olive flounder serum and nutrient-enriched media as a control. Although S. parauberis SPOF3K proliferated in both culture conditions, the transcriptomic patterns of the two groups were very different. Interestingly, the expression levels of genes responsible for the replication of an S. parauberis plasmid in the presence of olive flounder serum were higher than those in the absence of olive flounder serum, indicating that this plasmid may play an important role in the survival and proliferation of S. parauberis in the host. Several ATP-binding cassette transporters known to transport organic substrates (e.g., biotin and osmoprotectants) that are vital for bacterial survival in the host were significantly up-regulated in S. parauberis cultured in serum. In addition, groEL, dnaK operon, and members of the clp protease family, which are known to play important roles in response to various stressors, were up-regulated in S. parauberis incubated in serum, thus limiting damage and facilitating cellular recovery. Moreover, important virulence factors including the hyaluronic acid capsule (has operon), sortase A (srtA), C5a peptidase (scp), and peptidoglycan O-acetyltransferase (oatA) were significantly upregulated in S. paraubers in serum. These results indicate that S. paraubers can resist and evade the humoral immune responses of fish. The transcriptomic data obtained in this study provide a better understanding of the mode of action of S. parauberis in fish.

In recent years, poikilothermic animals such as fish have increasingly been exposed to stressful high-temperature environments due to global warming. However, systemic changes in fish under thermal stress are not fully understood yet at both the transcriptome and proteome level. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the immuno-physiological responses of fish under extreme thermal stress through integrated multi-omics analysis. Trout were exposed to acute thermal stress by raising water temperature from 15 to 25 °C within 30 min. Head-kidney and plasma samples were collected and used for RNA sequencing and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Gene enrichment analysis was performed: differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified to interpret the multi-omics results and identify the relevant biological processes through pathway analysis. Thousands of DEGs and 49 DEPs were identified in fish exposed to thermal stress. Most of these genes and proteins were highly linked to DNA replication, protein processing in the endoplasmic reticulum, cell signaling and structure, glycolysis activation, complement-associated hemolysis, processing of released free hemoglobin, and thrombosis and hypertension/vasoconstriction. Notably, we found that immune disorders mediated by the complement system may trigger hemolysis in thermally stressed fish, which could have serious consequences such as ferroptosis and thrombosis. However, antagonistic activities that decrease cell-free hemoglobin, heme, and iron might be involved in alleviating the side effects of thermally induced immuno-physiological disorders. These factors may represent the major thermal resistance traits that allow fish to overcome extreme thermal stress. Our findings, based on integration of multi-omics data from transcriptomics and proteomics analyses, provide novel insight into the pathogenesis of acute thermal stress and temperature-linked epizootics.

We report the complete genome sequence of the virulent Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. masoucida strain BR19001YR, isolated from diseased black rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii). Sequencing of the circular chromosome and three plasmids using the PacBio and Illumina platforms yielded 4,982,192 bp with a 58.24% G+C content.

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Streptococcus parauberis is the dominant etiological agent of streptococcosis, the most devastating bacterial disease in the olive flounder farming industry in South Korea. In this study, the distribution of serotypes, antimicrobial susceptibility, and presence of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) in S. parauberis isolates obtained between 1999 and 2021 was thoroughly investigated to gain insight into the dynamics of their presence and the relationship between serotypes and antimicrobial resistance. Disk diffusion testing of 103 isolates against 10 antimicrobial agents was performed, and epidemiological cut-off values generated through normalized resistance interpretation analysis were used to classify wild-type (WT) and non-wild-type (NWT) populations. Principal component analysis and hierarchical clustering were implemented to achieve an understanding on the relationship between serotypes and antimicrobial resistance patterns. PCR-based serotyping showed that serotype Ia (67.1%) was the most prevalent in South Korea, followed by serotypes Ib/Ic (25.2%) and II (7.7%). The highest proportion of isolates was assigned to NWT against amoxicillin (80.6%), followed by oxytetracycline (77.7%) and erythromycin (48.5%). The time-scale data showed that recently obtained serotypes Ib/Ic and II isolates tended to be categorized as NWT populations resistant to more antibiotics, possibly due to microbial adaptation to antibiotic pressure. ARGs responsible for resistance to oxytetracycline and erythromycin were found only in NWT populations in serotype Ia [ tet (S) and erm (B), respectively], and serotype II [ tet (M) and mef (J)- msr (I), respectively]. We also found that the mef-msr gene pair in S. parauberis serotype II might be involved in low-level resistance to erythromycin. IMPORTANCE This study presents serotype distribution and antimicrobial susceptibility data along with the antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) of Streptococcus parauberis , which is an important bacterial fish pathogen worldwide. In particular, almost all oxytetracycline and erythromycin non-wild-type (NWT) populations harbored tet (S) or tet (M), and erm (B) or mef (J)- msr (I), respectively. Interestingly, these ARGs were distributed in a highly serotype-dependent manner, resulting in a clear correlation between the antibiogram and serotype distribution. Moreover, recent isolates belonging to serotypes Ib/Ic and II tended to be more frequently categorized as NWT against antimicrobials, including amoxicillin and cefalexin compared to old isolates, while a dramatic decrease in erythromycin and clindamycin NWT frequencies was observed in recent serotype Ia isolates, which lacked erm (B). These variations might be attributed to shifts in the antibiotics employed in South Korean aquaculture over time. The overall findings would provide important background knowledge for understanding the epidemiology of S. parauberis infection in aquaculture.