Science et technologie vétérinaires

Comparison of the Microbiota of Snails (Helix aspersa) of Different Weights and Its Evolution over Time

Abstract

Carlos González-Núñez and María A Calvo-Torras

Heliciculture produce snails that are eaten in many regions of Spain, especially in some areas where they are considered a delicacy. The fact of producing large snails would allow to maximize profits and for this reason to find the factors that regulate the weight of these mollusks is economically very interesting. In recent years, microbiota has been linked to weight in several species, including humans. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible differences in the intestinal microbiota between snails (Helix aspersa) of different weights to establish the relationship between both. To do this, Aerobic Mesophilic, Lactic-Acid bacteria and Enterobacteriaceae counts were compared in stool samples from two groups of animals, distributed by weight. Furthermore, the evolution of the counts of these bacterial groups was observed from the waking from hibernation until the end of the study, after 22 days. The results showed no statistically significant differences between the two study groups in bacterial counts. In addition, no clear trend was observed in these counts during the course of the experiment. Additional studies could explain the differences found in this study compared with what is found in other papers.