Early-life infection with a bacterial pathogen increases expression levels of innate immunity related genes during adulthood in zebrafish

Abstract

Early-life exposure to different stressors can lead to various consequences on fish health status in later life development. To evaluate the effects of Aeromonas salmonicida achromogenes infection in the early-life on immunity in adulthood, zebrafish were either early-infected at 18 days post-fertilization (dpf), chronically infected from 18 to 35 dpf, or late infected at 35 dpf and then grown up to 61 dpf to be re-infected with the pathogen. The age of first infection was shown to influence both, level and timing of the immune gene expressions, especially for inflammation-related genes. In addition, evidence for an innate immune memory in zebrafish primarily infected with the pathogen at 35 dpf and re-infected at 61dpf provide new insights to consolidate the concept of a "trained" innate immunity in fish.

Keywords: Bacterial challenge; Immune memory; Trained innate immunity; Zebrafish.