Gut Microbiome Analysis of Snails: A Biotechnological Approach

Abstract

Mollusks are a diverse group of animals not only at the species level but also with respect to their habitat and behavior. Gastropods comprise 80% of the mollusks with approximately 62,000 living species including snails. Over the period of time, snails have evolved into marine, freshwater and terrestrial forms with a transitional shift in their feeding habits. From prehistoric times, mollusks have established an intimate relationship with humans. These animals are used as food, medicine, offering to gods and are also responsible for economic losses in the form of agricultural pests. As most of these animals feed on plant biomass, their guts have evolved to digest such lignocellulosic biomass with extraordinary efficiency. The plant fiber digestion in their guts depends predominantly on the metabolic activities of the gastro-intestinal microflora. Besides digestive functions, the seasonal dynamic and spatial distribution of bacterial gut community largely influences cold hardiness and many other metabolic properties in snails. Here, we assessed an overview of the various bacterial populations dwelling in digestive tracts of snails. This chapter provides insights into the gut microbiome of various snails that can be exploited for various industrial applications such as biomass degradation, production of biofuel, paper, wine and laundry detergents.

Spatial structure of the microbiome in the gut of Pomacea canaliculata

“…The gut microbiota of animals can play roles in the food ingestion, digestion and nutrient absorption of the host [8]. In snails, food is scraped by radula and mixed with the secretions of the salivary gland after being ingested by the buccal mass and digested in the stomach; nutrients are then absorbed in the intestine [9]. Little is known about the spatial structure of the gut microbiota in P. canaliculata snails.…”

Actividad anti-Listeria de Enterococcus spp aislados de caracol de jardín (Helix aspersa Müller)

“…Los 90 aislamientos de Enterococcus obtenidos a partir de 105 muestras de contenido intestinal ponen de manifiesto la alta frecuencia con que se encuentran estas bacterias en los caracoles. Estos resultados concuerdan con trabajos previos (Charrier et al, 2006;Koleva et al, 2015;Dar et al, 2017), en los cuales se destaca la presencia de bacterias lácticas (BL), en particular especies del género Lactococcus y Enterococcus.…”

“…La microbiota intestinal es un ecosistema com-plejo, y juega un rol importante en el mantenimiento de la salud del hospedador, contribuyendo con el sistema inmunitario y su metabolismo. La población microbiana del intestino es dinámica y fluctúa en respuesta a cambios en la dieta y estrés ambiental; sin embargo, es frecuente que una subpoblación de microorganismos conocido como el microbioma intestinal central permanezca estable en individuos que forman parte de una población (Dar et al, 2017).…”

Life History Traits of the Perforate Dome Snail, Ventridens Demissus (Binney, 1843) (Gastropoda: Zonitidae), From Seabrook, Texas

“…Simkaniaceae, like Mycoplasma, are parasitic organisms, and Paenibacillus are common soil and plant bacteria and were likely ingested by the snails as opposed to being part of the normal gut flora (Everett et al 1999;Grady et al 2016). Many members of Enterbacteriaceae that are common gut flora (Enterobacter, Rosenbergiella, Klebsiella, Buttiauxela) were also identified, though Raoultella was likely ingested (Dar et al 2017).…”