Influence of the amoebic gill disease on the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) gill microbiome in a laboratory scale trial: bacterial immigration from the surrounding water.

As the amoebic gill disease (AGD) stills spreading in fish farms around the globe, more studies focus their attention to the connection of the gill microbiome with the development of AGD on Atlantic salmon gills. However, data from field based sampling regularly include a huge grade of variability that increases the difficulty of having clear and conclusive results, due to the influence of environmental factors. Therefore, the present study aims to describe this possible relationship in a controlled environment, also sampling the surrounding water to have a better comprehension of the bacterial colonisation on the gills through the development of the AGD.