Clostridium butyricum: a promising probiotic confers positive health benefits in aquatic animals

Abstract

Clostridium butyricum is a bacterium of rod shape, strictly anaerobic, Gram‐positive and form spores. Short‐chain fatty acids, biofuel compounds and precursors of biomaterials (H2, butanol and 1,3‐propanediol) are produced by C. butyricum during the fermentation of carbohydrates and sugars. In humans and animals, although C. butyricum has been found to be associated with botulism in infant and necrotising enterocolitis in preterm neonates, some strains have been demonstrated to be beneficial as probiotics. In aquatic animals, the application of C. butyricum as a probiotic has been commonly considered. In this review, we described and documented what we knew about the isolation, identification, phenotypic and biochemical characteristics, safety, pathogenicity and the mechanisms of action of C. butyricum in the gastrointestinal tract of aquatic animals. The evidence on the roles that C. butyricum plays in improving growth performance, digestibility, survival rate, immune response, disease resistance and the structure of intestinal tract, as well as the modulation of gut commensal microbiota and metabolic disorders in aquatic animals, is summarised. Albeit the probiotic C. butyricum has been applied in aquaculture, and further research, such as the inter‐relationships between the probiotic and the immune system of the host and the possible application of C. butyricum as an alternative to antibiotic substitution for the prevention and treatment of diseases, is required for future detailed studies.

Dietary Clostridium butyricum Improves Growth Performance and Resistance to Ammonia Stress in Yellow Catfish (Pelteobagrus fulvidraco)

“…Dietary supplementation with probiotics is considered as an important way to enhance the intestinal health in fish [15]. Clostridium butyricum (CB) is a gram-positive obligate anaerobic bacillus, which exhibits positive effects on inhibition of inflammatory response and reparation of intestinal epithelium and reduction of pathogenic bacteria [16,17]. In recent years, CB has been carried out in human, terrestrial, and some aquatic species to increase growth performance, promote nutrient utilization efficiency, maintain intestinal morphology, and improve disease resistance [18][19][20].…”

Early Life Intervention Using Probiotic Clostridium butyricum Improves Intestinal Development, Immune Response, and Gut Microbiota in Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys crocea) Larvae

“…In recent years, many studies have indicated that probiotic treatment in the early life is necessary for digestive physiology functions, gastrointestinal tract immune and microbiota development (8,9). Clostridium butyricum (CB) is a grampositive, obligate anaerobic and endospore-forming probiotic, which is part of the normal gut bacteria for both mammals and aquatic animals (10,11). CB could improve gastrointestinal function, which has been used for the clinical treatment of newborn animals (12)(13)(14).…”

Loss of gut microbial diversity in the cultured, agastric fish, Mexican pike silverside (Chirostoma estor: Atherinopsidae)

“…, Roeselers et al, 2011 ; Gajardo et al, 2016 ; do Vale-Pereira et al, 2017 ; Rimoldi et al, 2019 ; Ruzauskas et al, 2021 ). Although it is hard to predict physiological roles for these microbes, some bacteria of the genera Staphylococcus , Vibrio , and Aeromonas can be opportunistic pathogens, while others have been used as probiotics in fish diets promoting positive immune and growth responses ( Austin et al, 1995 ; Taoka et al, 2006 ; Pieters et al, 2008 ; Abd El-Rhman, Khattab & Shalaby, 2009 ; Korkea-aho et al, 2012 ; Gao et al, 2016 ; Qi et al, 2020 ; Tran et al, 2020 ). Undibacterium spp.…”