Bacteria and hatching percentage of cysts of Artemia franciscana Kellogg, 1906, from four natural populations in Mexico

Abstract

In this study, cysts of four Mexican populations of Artemia franciscana were analyzed to determine the quality of hatching, and the levels in the nauplii of viable heterotrophic bacteria (VHB) and of bacteria capable of growing in the thiosulfate-citrate-bile salts-saccharose agar (TCBS) medium (TCBSB) were quantified. The hatching percentages fluctuated from 72.8% (Texcoco) to null (Yavaros). The abundance values of the VHB were similar in all the cyst samples, from 107 to 108 CFU mL–1. The TCBSB showed low variability, with values of 106 to 107 CFU mL–1. The largest population in the TCBS medium was represented by gram-positive bacteria, with values of 97.9% out of 96 isolations. Bacteria of the genus Vibrio were not found in the Artemia strains analyzed.

Keywords

• Artemia franciscana
• nauplii
• Vibrio
• bacteria