The gut microbiota of penaeid shrimp: a historical perspective and state of the art

The digestive tract microbiota is diverse and can
provide great benefits to the host, participating in multiple
functions related to its health, nutrition and growth. Recently,
the microbiota study of important aquaculture species
including penaeid shrimp has gained relevance. The first research
efforts in the knowledge of the relationship between
microorganisms and penaeid shrimp development used
culture-dependent techniques. In spite of the novel findings,
this represented only a small fraction of the total population;
however, these first approaches allowed knowing the relevant
role of microbiota in the biology of these crustaceans.
Later, the development of methods based on molecular techniques,
increased the panorama with new records of nonculturable
bacteria in these environments, elucidating the
effect of diverse factors including diet, antibiotics, probiotics,
prebiotics, and disease on the digestive tract microbiota modulation.
However, the rise of high throughput sequencing,
began providing robust datasets, allowing to know not only
which microbes are present in a given organism, but reveal
their functions and potential roles. So far, descriptions of the
microbiota composition of the digestive tract of penaeid
shrimp are available, as well as on how the management
of these microorganisms benefits the productive response
and health status; however, it is necessary to continue comprehending
the microbiota-host relationship. The present
review analyzes the current situation and future perspectives
in the study of penaeid shrimp microbiota