Lactococcus lactis’ Effect on the Intestinal Microbiota of Streptococcus agalactiae-Infected Zebrafish (Danio rerio)

Streptococcus agalactiae is a common pathogen in aquaculture that disrupts the balance of the intestinal microbiota and threatens fish health, causing enormous losses to the aquaculture industry. In this study, we isolated and screened a Lactococcus lactis KUST48 (LLK48) strain with antibacterial effect against S. agalactiae in vitro and used it as a potential probiotic to explore its therapeutic effect on zebrafish (Danio rerio) infected with S. agalactiae. This study divided zebrafish into 3 groups: control group, injected with phosphate-buffered saline; infection group, injected with S. agalactiae; and treatment group, treated with LLK48 after S. agalactiae injection. Then, the 16S rRNA gene sequences of the intestinal microbiota of these 3 groups were sequenced using Illumina high-throughput sequencing technology. The results showed that the relative abundance of intestinal bacteria was significantly decreased in the infection group, and a high relative abundance of S. agalactiae was observed. The relative abundance of the intestinal microbiota was increased in the treatment group, with a decrease in the relative abundance of S. agalactiae compared to that in the control group. In the Cluster of Orthologous Groups of proteins function classification, the relative abundance of each biological function in the infection group was significantly lower than that of the control and treatment groups, showing that LLK48 has a positive therapeutic effect on zebrafish infected with S. agalactiae. This study provides a foundation for exploring the pathogenic mechanism of S. agalactiae on fish and their intestinal symbionts, and also presents a new approach for the treatment of S. agalactiae infections in fish aquaculture systems. IMPORTANCE L. lactis KUST48 (LLK48) with a bacteriostatic effect against S. agalactiae was isolated from tilapia intestinal tracts. S. agalactiae infection significantly reduced the relative abundance of intestinal bacteria and various physiological functions in zebrafish intestines. LLK48 demonstrated infection and subsequent therapeutic effects on the S. agalactiae infection in the zebrafish intestine. Therefore, the potential probiotic LLK48 can be considered as a therapeutic treatment for S. agalactiae infections in aquaculture, which can reduce the use of antibiotics and help maintain fish health.