Probiotic system for aquaculture

Abstract

Probiotic bacterial strains are provided which inhibit or prevent growth or pathogenic bacteria in marine organisms. Also provided are methods of culturing marine organisms using the probiotic bacteria.

1 . A biologically pure bacterial strain of a variant of bacteria  Pseudoalteromonas  P02-1 deposited as ATCC PTA-6677. 
   
   
       2 . A biologically pure bacterial strain of a variant of bacteria  Pseudoalteromonas  P02-45 deposited as ATCC PTA-6678. 
   
   
       3 - 4 . (canceled) 
   
   
       5 . A composition comprising a mixture of variants of bacterial strains  Pseudoalteromonas  P02-1 and  Pseudoalteromonas  P02-45 wherein said mixture contains between 1% and 99% colony forming units of a variant strain  Pseudoalteromonas  P02-1 and between 1% and 99% colony forming units of a variant of strain P02-45. 
   
   
       6 . A method of inhibiting a pathogenic bacterial infection in marine organisms, comprising bathing a stock of marine organisms in a culture containing the bacterial strain of  claim 1 . 
   
   
       7 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said marine organisms are mollusks. 
   
   
       8 . The method of  claim 6 , wherein the marine organisms are cultured food fish, including but not limited to salmon, trout, grouper, tuna fishes and all marine species whose early life stages may be reared under controlled conditions in seawater hatcheries and nurseries. 
   
   
       9 . The method of  claim 6  wherein said marine organisms are in the nauplii, larval, post-larval, or juvenile stage, or are adults or are brood stock. 
   
   
       10 . A method of inhibiting a pathogenic bacterial infection in marine organisms, comprising bathing a stock of marine organisms in a culture containing the bacterial strain of  claim 2 . 
   
   
       11 . The method of  claim 10  wherein said marine organisms are mollusks. 
   
   
       12 . The method of  claim 10 , wherein the marine organisms are cultured food fish, including but not limited to salmon, trout, grouper, tuna fishes and all species whose early life stages may be reared under controlled conditions in seawater hatcheries and nurseries. 
   
   
       13 . A method of inhibiting a pathogenic bacterial infection in marine organisms, comprising bathing a stock of said marine organisms in a culture containing the composition of  claim 5 . 
   
   
       14 . The method of  claim 13  wherein said marine organisms are mollusks. 
   
   
       15 . The method of  claim 13 , wherein the marine organisms are cultured food fish, including but not limited to salmon, trout, grouper, tuna fishes and all species whose early life stages may be reared under controlled conditions in seawater hatcheries and nurseries. 
   
   
       16 . A method of preventing growth of pathogenic bacteria by treatment of marine organism rearing tanks with bacterial strain of  claim 1  prior to the introduction of marine organisms to the tank. 
   
   
       17 . A method of preventing growth of pathogenic bacteria by treatment of marine organism rearing tanks with bacterial strain of  claim 2  prior to the introduction of marine organisms to the tank. 
   
   
       18 . A composition comprising the bacterial strain of  claim 1  and a culture selected from the group consisting of unicellular algae and multi-cellular algae. 
   
   
       19 . A composition comprising the bacterial strain of  claim 2  and a culture selected from the group consisting of unicellular algae and multi-cellular algae. 
   
   
       20 . A method of preventing growth of pathogenic bacteria in commercial and residential salt water aquariums wherein the aquarium is treated with variants of bacterial strain P02-1, P02-45, or a mixture thereof.