Gut microbiome-associated adaptability of suckermouth catfish inhabiting the polluted Buriganga River: insights into heavy-metal-remediating microorganisms

Suckermouth catfish (Hypostomus plecostomus) from Bangladesh’s polluted Buriganga River harbor gut microbes linked to heavy-metal remediation, including isolates with up to 36.28% Pb bioaccumulation.

• Why it matters: Native fish have nearly disappeared in the Buriganga River despite heavy-metal contamination, yet suckermouth catfish persist, suggesting gut microbes may support survival and remediation.
• What they did: The study profiled gut contents using next-generation sequencing and then isolated three gut bacteria; partial 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and conventional methods identified Staphylococcus pasteuri SD, Morganella morganii SAS1, and Sporosarcina saromensis SAS.
• The result: In metal-supplemented tests, S. pasteuri showed the highest Pb bioaccumulation (36.28%), S. saromensis the highest Cr uptake (39.22%), and M. morganii the highest Ni uptake (35.90%), with maximum tolerable concentrations from 125 ppm to 1000 ppm and sustained growth over 48 hours.

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