Oligoagars and microbial agents show potential for Porphyra disease prevention

Abstract Disease is a major concern in Porphyra aquaculture, particularly during the early shell-borne conchocelis (SBC) seedling stage. To explore prevention strategies for Porphyra diseases, this study explored the potential of using oligoagars (OA) and microbial agents (MA) to treat SBC of Neoporphyra haitanensis in an aquaculture environment. The impact of these treatments on the phycosphere microbial community was analyzed, and the resistance of the treated Porphyra conchocelis to the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio mediterranei 117-T6 (which causes yellow spot disease) was tested in the lab. Results showed that OA reduced α-diversity while enriching Rhodobacteriaceae, and MA increased stability and relative abundance of Bacteroidetes (including Flavobacteria). Furthermore, compared to the control group, the abundance of pathogenic microorganisms and virulence functional genes decreased while defense-related functional gene abundance increased significantly in the groups treated with OA and MA. Most importantly, the OA and MA treatments improved resistance to Vm117-T6, with survival rates of 70% (OA) and 80% (MA), compared to 15% in the control group. Overall, the findings suggest that OA and MA treatments have great potential for preventing Porphyra disease, as they improve phycosphere microorganisms and increase algae resistance to pathogenic bacteria.