Lisa Auclert, PhD Student

ACADEMIA​
  • Ph. D Biology - Université Laval (2019-2021)
  • M.Sc Virology - Université Laval (2017-2019)
  • M.Sc Microbiology Immunology - Université de Bordeaux (2014-2016)
  • B.Sc Health Sciences speciality biochemistry - Université de Bordeaux (2012-2014)

CONTACT
  • Email:
  • lisa.auclert.1@ulaval.ca
 

« Studying the role of the microbiota on the zebrafish's immune system maturation and resistance to infectious diseases.”

Aquaculture stressful farming conditions facilitate the onset and spreading of  infectious  diseases. In order to prevent bacterial  infections,  routine  disinfection  of  eggs  and  equipment  are  practiced, while  curative  treatments  consist  of  the  administration  of  antibiotics.  These treatments are not specific, and even if they  are  efficient  in  the  short  term,  they  have  major  drawbacks  in  the  long term:  they  eliminate  beneficial  bacteria  useful  for  the  host  and  promote  the  raising  of  antibiotic resistances  in  beneficial,  commensal  but  also  in  pathogenic  bacterial  strains.  The raising of antibiotic resistances is considered  one  of  the  worse  global  health  problems.  Furthermore, publications   highlight   the   importance   of   the   diversified   microbial   symbionts   composing   the microbiota in the health and survival of fishes.
My project’s objective is to understand the role of the microbiota in  the  maturation  of  the  adaptative  immune  system  of  fishes.  To understand the microbiota’s effect on host health, it is necessary to test individually and in combination the role of symbiotic microorganisms.  This approach requires germ free  (axenic)  animal  models. 

1) My first objective is thus to develop an unprecedented model of axenic zebrafish at the stage of maturation of the immune system (innate and adaptative). 
2) Then, bacterial symbionts will be isolated from zebrafishes and combined to set up an equilibrated synthetic microbiota that can be administered to the fishes.
3) The bacterial symbionts will be administered alone and in combination at different steps of fish development in order to understand their impact on the fish’s physical condition and immune system maturation.
4) The resistance of fishes in an infectious context will be measured in function of their experimentally  fixed microbiota. 

I hypothesize that the survival of infected fishes will be increased by introduction of beneficial taxa at  key stages  of  the  immune  system  ontogeny,  optimizing  the  maturation  of  the  immune  system. The results  of  this  study  will  allow  us  to  characterize  the  impact  of  the  microbiota  on  the development of the immune system of fishes and to set up farming strategies better adapted to the health, survival and growth of fishes, while offering alternatives to the use of antibiotics
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