Functionality of a Bacillus cereus biological agent in response to physiological variables encountered in aquaculture.

The potential of a Bacillus cereus isolate (NRRL 100132) as a biological agent for aquaculture has been demonstrated in vitro and in vivo. The functionality of this isolate across a range of physiological conditions, including salinity, pH and temperature, based on rearing of high-value ornamental Cyprinus carpio, was investigated. Temperature had a significant influence on germination, specific growth rate and increase in cell number of B. cereus in shake-flask cultures, whilst salinity and pH did not have a measurable effect on growth. Controlled studies in bioreactors and modelling of the data to the Arrhenius function indicated the existence of high and low growth temperature domains. The rates of pathogenic Aeromonas hydrophila suppression and decrease in waste ion concentrations (ammonium, nitrite, nitrate and phosphate) were translated into a linear predictive indicator of efficacy of the B. cereus isolate at different temperatures. The present study confirmed the robustness of the B. cereus isolate (NRRL 100132) as a putative biological agent for aquaculture and further demonstrated a novel method for the assessment of in vitro biological efficacy as a function of temperature.