Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus is not the cause of thiamine deficiency impeding lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) recruitment in the Great Lakes

• Published in: Canadian journal of fisheries and aquatic sciences Vol. 69; no. 6; pp. 1056 - 1064
• Main Authors: RICHTER, Catherine A, EVANS, Allison N, WRIGHT-OSMENT, Maureen K, ZAJICEK, James L, HEPPELL, Scott A, RILEY, Stephen C, KRUEGER, Charles C, TILLITT, Donald E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ottawa, ON NRC Research Press 01.06.2012; National Research Council of Canada; Canadian Science Publishing NRC Research Press
• Subjects: Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Applied ecology; Biological and medical sciences; Care and treatment; Cells; Conservation, protection and management of environment and wildlife; Diagnosis; Diseases; Domestic animals; Embryos; Environmental degradation: ecosystems survey and restoration; Enzyme kinetics; Exploitation and management of natural biological resources (hunting, fishing and exploited populations survey, etc.); Fish stocking; Food webs; Freshwater; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gram-positive bacteria; Health aspects; Lake trout; Lakes; Livestock; Mortality; Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus; Prey; Salmonidae; Salvelinus namaycush; Trophic levels; Trout; Vitamin B1 deficiency; Wildlife; Great Lakes of America; North America; America; Canada; Great Lakes; North America, Great Lakes; Salvelinus namaycush; Edible fish; Enzyme; Deficiency; Mortality; Freshwater environment; Ecological damage; Vertebrata; Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus; Enzymatic activity; Thiaminase; Pisces; Hydrolases; Bacteria; Environmental monitoring; Thiamine
• ISSN: 0706-652X; 1205-7533
• DOI: 10.1139/f2012-043

Thiamine (vitamin B 1 ) deficiency is a global concern affecting wildlife, livestock, and humans. In Great Lakes salmonines, thiamine deficiency causes embryo mortality and is an impediment to restoration of native lake trout ( Salvelinus namaycush ) stocks. Thiamine deficiency in fish may result from a diet of prey with high levels of thiaminase I. The discoveries that the bacterial species Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus produces thiaminase I, is found in viscera of thiaminase-containing prey fish, and causes mortality when fed to lake trout in the laboratory provided circumstantial evidence implicating P. thiaminolyticus. This study quantified the contribution of P. thiaminolyticus to the total thiaminase I activity in multiple trophic levels of Great Lakes food webs. Unexpectedly, no relationship between thiaminase activity and either the amount of P. thiaminolyticus thiaminase I protein or the abundance of P. thiaminolyticus cells was found. These results demonstrate that P. thiaminolyticus is not the primary source of thiaminase activity affecting Great Lakes salmonines and calls into question the long-standing assumption that P. thiaminolyticus is the source of thiaminase in other wild and domestic animals.