ArticleBMC microbiology2026
Exploring microbial and metabolite composition of the external mucus of wild Mediterranean sparids: is there a link with their monogenean ectoparasites?
Article in BMC microbiology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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5 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundExternal mucus forms a complex interface that constitutes the first line of defense in teleost fish. In addition to host-derived molecules, this mucus harbors bacterial communities capable of producing a wide range of bioactive compounds. The structure and function of these microbial and chemical assemblages remain to be characterized, particularly in wild populations. This is especially true in the context of fish-parasite interactions, as all components of the external mucus may act in concert to act on pathogen entrance. In this study, we investigated the microbial and chemical composition of the external mucus (skin and gills) from four wild Mediterranean sparid species using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and non-targeted LC-HRMS metabolomics. After assessing the effect of environmental and host-related factors on the structure and diversity of these assemblages, we focused on one of the species, Boops boops (bogue), which, unlike the other three sparid species studied, never exhibits infection by Lamellodiscus monogeneans. This systematic absence of Lamellodiscus infection in this species led us to investigate bacterial taxa and metabolites specifically associated with their external mucus, to identify potential anti-parasite bio-markers.
resultsThe present results suggest that while several factors influence mucus composition, host species seems to be the primary driver of both microbial and chemical assemblages, suggesting that intrinsic physiological factors primarily govern their structure, each compartment may influence the other. Although the potential impact of abiotic factors on the structure of the mucus microbiota could not be fully assessed in this study, since B. boops and other fish species were sampled at different times, a significant enrichment of an anaerobic bacterial taxon from the Cardiobacteriaceae family was detected in the gill mucus of B. boops. This taxon, rarely associated with oxygenated areas or with external teleost microbiota, could contribute to the exclusion of Lamellodiscus parasites. This protection may also be linked to the distinctive chemical composition of the external mucus of bogues, although establishing a direct link between the identified eicosanoid molecules in the gill mucus and protection against Lamellodiscus remains challenging.
conclusionsOverall, untargeted metabolomics and metabarcoding appear to be powerful tools for assessing global variations in the composition of external mucus in teleost fish. However, the identification of biomarkers remains more challenging with such approaches in wild populations, but suggests that the mucus of wild fish is likely an underexplored source of bioactive molecules, whose identity and role remain to be characterized.
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