Metabolic changes in Atlantic salmon exposed to Aeromonas salmonicida detected by 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of plasma

• Published in: Diseases of Aquatic Organisms
• Main Authors: Solanky, Kirty S., Burton, Ian W., MacKinnon, Shawna L., Walter, John A., Dacanay, Andrew
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Inter-Research 2005
• Subjects: Aeromonas salmonicida; Atlantic salmon; 1H-nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; principal components analysis; Salmo salar
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao065107; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/eng/view/object/?id=ec0887e8-ea33-4fc2-b51a-c5202bc88188; https://nrc-publications.canada.ca/fra/voir/objet/?id=ec0887e8-ea33-4fc2-b51a-c5202bc88188

1H-NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance)-based chemometric methods have been applied for the first time to investigate changes in the plasma metabolite profiles of Atlantic salmon Salmo salar as a result of exposure to Aeromonas salmonicida subsp. salmonicida, a Gram-negative bacterium that is the etiological agent of furunculosis. Plasma samples were obtained from salmon that survived 21 d post exposure to A. salmonicida, and from a control group maintained under similar conditions. 1D 1H-NMR spectra were acquired and principal components analysis (PCA) was used to assess differences between the spectral profiles of plasma from salmon that survived an A. salmonicida challenge, and non-infected controls. PCA enables simultaneous comparison of spectra, presenting a simplified overview of the relationship between spectral data, where spectra cluster based on metabolite profile similarities and differences; information regarding the metabolite variations can therefore be readily deciphered. The major metabolite changes responsible for the spectral differences were related to modification in the lipoprotein profile and choline-based residues, with minor changes in carbohydrates, glycerol, trimethylamine-N-oxide and betaine. These changes indicated that exposure to A. salmonicida induced a characteristic biochemical response which could be used to determine the health status of salmon. This study suggests that with further development this metabolite profiling technique may be a useful tool for diagnosis of disease states in salmon and could provide a better understanding of the host-pathogen relationship which at present is poorly understood for A. salmonicida and Atlantic salmon. Peer reviewed: Yes NRC publication: Yes