In the liver of yellow catfish, metabolic and reproductive process associated GOs were detected at 12–120 h in the GO enrichment analyses, the fat digestion and absorption (map04975) was found at 12–120 h, the PPAR signaling pathway (map03320) and the glycerolipid metabolism (map00561) were found at 24–72 h in the KEGG enrichment analyses, indicating that the metabolic regulation in the liver can be activated at about 12 h post-infection to provide energy for yellow catfish against bacterial infection. The gene discussed is PPARA; the disease is bacterial infectious disease.