Antimicrobial resistance and improved detection of Tenacibaculum in B.C. Atlantic salmon

加拿大有鳍鱼类水产养殖业是不列颠哥伦比亚省经济的重要驱动力，沿着不列颠哥伦比亚省海岸雇用了数千人。Mowi Canada West（MCW）是不列颠哥伦比亚省最大的养殖大西洋鲑鱼生产商，由于感染多种Tenacibaculum细菌而导致的“Tenacibaculosis”，导致数千条可销售的鱼损失。抗生素治疗的费用导致额外的经济损失，这加剧了韧杆菌感染的影响。目前的理论与tenacibaculosis的潜在机制是破坏细菌群落（生态失调）的鱼类和周围的网围栏环境中发现的鲑鱼幼鱼从淡水孵化场转移到盐水生长网围栏。 下一代测序（NGS）提供了识别和量化鱼类和网围栏周围水域中细菌群落的能力。该项目将建立在圭尔夫大学（U圭尔夫）温哥华岛大学（VIU）和MCW通过NSERC Engage，Engage Plus赠款和几个当地赠款建立的强有力的合作伙伴关系上，这些赠款将VIU研究人员与当地公司和BC水生健康科学中心（CAHS）联系在一起。本项目的目标是：1）从MCW BC网围栏站点收集并筛选对水产养殖中使用的11种兽用抗生素的最低抑制浓度的韧芽孢杆菌分离株; 2）使用minION测序平台对所选韧芽孢杆菌分离株进行全基因组比较，包括毒力因子、抗菌剂抗性基因和细菌基因组分析; 3）利用Illumina MiSeq平台开发靶基因高通量测定，以研究Tenacibaculum物种群落分布和生态失调。4)评估2019-2020年在MCW网围栏地点发生的韧杆菌病临床爆发前、期间和后采集的鲑鱼组织样本中韧杆菌属物种的群落分布和相对丰度。 该项目将提高MCW管理疾病存在的能力，改善鱼类福利，减少不必要的抗生素使用，并可能确定未来疫苗开发的关键Tenacibaculum物种。

Canadian finfish aquaculture is a significant driver of the BC economy employing thousands of individuals along the BC coast. Mowi Canada West (MCW), the largest producer of farmed Atlantic salmon in BC, loses many thousands of marketable fish to "tenacibaculosis" caused by an infection with multiple species of the bacteria Tenacibaculum. Costs for antibiotic treatment contribute to additional financial losses which compounds the impact of Tenacibaculum infections. A current theory related to the underlying mechanism of tenacibaculosis is the disruption of bacterial communities (dysbiosis) found on fish and the surrounding netpen environment following the transfer of salmon smolts from freshwater hatcheries to saltwater growout net pens. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) offers the ability to both identify and quantify the bacterial community on fish and within water surrounding net pen sites. This project will build on a strong partnership between University of Guelph (UGuelph) Vancouver Island University (VIU) and MCW established through NSERC Engage, Engage Plus grants, and several local grants bringing VIU researchers together with local companies and the BC Center for Aquatic Health Sciences (CAHS). The objectives of this project are to 1) collect and screen Tenacibaculum Isolates from MCW BC net pen sites for minimum inhibitory concentrations to 11 veterinary antibiotics used in aquaculture; 2) produce full genomic comparison of the select Tenacibaculum isolates including virulent factors, antimicrobial resistance genes and phylogenomic analysis using the minION sequencing platform; 3) develop a target gene high-throughput assay to investigate Tenacibaculum species community distribution and dysbiosis using the Illumina MiSeq platform.; 4) assess the community distribution and relative abundance of Tenacibaculum species in salmon tissue samples taken pre-, during, and post-clinical outbreaks of tenacibaculosis experienced at MCW net pen sites in 2019-2020. This project will increase MCW's ability to manage disease presence, improve fish welfare, mitigate unnecessary antibiotic usage, and potentially identify key Tenacibaculum species for future vaccine development.