Involved Members: Dr. Jinping CHENG, Prof. Hongbin LIU

The increasing occurrence of diverse pathogens in coastal and mariculture areas demands improved monitoring platforms to prevent economic and public health implications. Accessible databases with up-to-date knowledge and taxonomy are critical for detecting and screening environmental pathogens. This study developed an aquaculture bacterial pathogen database from over 3000 relevant reports, curating over 210 bacterial pathogenic species impacting aquaculture. Applying this database to environmental DNA metabarcoding monitoring data in Hong Kong’s coastal and mariculture waters could effectively characterise regional pathogen profiles over a year, improving identification of new potential pathogen targets. The results highlighted increased potential pathogen abundance related to aquaculture activity and associated inorganic nitrogen load, primarily due to Vibrio enrichment during atypical dry winter season. This database empowers environmental DNAbased approaches in coastal marine pathogen surveillance, benefiting global water resource management and aquaculture development.

Reference:
Lo, L.S., Liu, X., Liu, H., Shao, M., Qian, P.Y., Cheng, J., (2023). Aquaculture bacterial pathogen database: Pathogen monitoring and screening in coastal waters using environmental DNA. Water Research X, 20, 100194. (impact factor: 9.365)