Transnational Access on Gilthead Sea Bream Intestinal Microbiome2026-10-30
Two visiting researchers recently completed a two-week research stay at the Institute of Aquaculture Torre de la Sal (IATS-CSIC) within the framework of the European project AQUASERV, focused on the study of the intestinal microbiome of gilthead sea bream (Sparus aurata).
The stay took place within the Nutrigenomics and Integrative Fish Biology Group, where Simona Rimoldi, researcher, and Violeta Kalemi, PhD student from the University of Insubria (Varese, Italy), worked under the supervision of Federico Moroni, postdoctoral researcher at IATS-CSIC. Their work focused on characterising the intestinal bacterial communities of gilthead sea bream fed diets containing different levels of microalgae oils and functional ingredients.
The research aims to improve our understanding of how these alternative dietary ingredients modulate the intestinal microbiome and how such changes may be linked to omega-3 fatty acid availability and the nutritional quality of fish fillets. To achieve this, intestinal mucosa and digestive content samples were analysed through 16S rRNA gene sequencing using Oxford Nanopore technology.
In addition to experimental work, both participants received practical training in sequencing methodologies and the bioinformatic analysis of microbiome data, strengthening their expertise in advanced microbial ecology approaches and fostering international scientific collaboration.
