Probiotics are a viable alternative to traditional chemotherapy agents to control infectious diseases in aquaculture. In this regard, Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris WA2-67 has previously demonstrated several probiotic features, such as a strong antimicrobial activity against ichthyopathogens, survival in freshwater, resistance to fish bile and low pH, and hydrophobicity. The aim of this manuscript is an in silico analysis of the whole-genome sequence (WGS) of this strain to gain deeper insights into its probiotic properties and their genetic basis. Genomic DNA was purified, and libraries prepared for Illumina sequencing. After trimming and assembly, resulting contigs were subjected to bioinformatic analyses. The draft genome of L. cremoris WA2-67 consists of 30 contigs (2,573,139 bp), and a total number of 2493 coding DNA sequences (CDSs). Via in silico analysis, the bacteriocinogenic genetic clusters encoding the lantibiotic nisin Z (NisZ) and two new bacteriocins were identified, in addition to several probiotic traits, such as the production of vitamins, amino acids, adhesion/aggregation, and stress resistance factors, as well as the absence of transferable antibiotic resistance determinants and genes encoding detrimental enzymatic activities and virulence factors. These results unveil diverse beneficial properties that support the use of L. cremoris WA2-67 as a probiotic for aquaculture.
Keywords: aquaculture; bacteriocins; lactic acid bacteria; nisin Z; probiotics.