Effects And Interactions Of Antibiotic, Butyrate, And Temperature On Sailfin Molly (Poecilia Latipinna) Metabolism And Gut Microbiota

Understanding the complex interactions between environmental factors, dietary supplements, and microbiome dynamics is crucial for optimizing fish health and growth, particularly in aquaculture settings. This study examines the effects of antibiotic, butyrate, and temperature treatments on the metabolism and gut microbiota of sailfin molly (Poecilia latipinna) alone and in combination. The results indicate that butyrate successfully restored the growth rates due to antibiotic exposure but had little effect when supplied to controls. Interestingly, while elevated temperature has been shown to promote growth through increased metabolic rates growth was not observed, possibly due to stress. Notably, there was a decrease in diversity in the microbiome because of antibiotic treatment. Further, both antibiotics and increased temperature lead to a decrease in the predicted functional capabilities of bacteria related to metabolism and health pathways after using PICRUSt analyses. While butyrate ameliorated the impacts on growth and metabolism caused by antibiotics, the microbiome was mostly unaffected, indicating that butyrate exerts its effects through the host directly. These findings suggest that butyrate could mitigate some negative impacts of antibiotics on fish growth and gut health as well as highlight some of the concerning effects of increasing environmental temperatures and antibiotic use. These insights may help develop strategies in fish population management and aquaculture practices, particularly those involving antibiotics and butyrate supplementation.