Enhancement of growth performance, digestive enzyme activities and disease resistance in black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) postlarvae by potential probiotics

Abstract

Outbreaks of multidrug-resistant pathogens have been constraint on aquaculture production in Thailand, thereby controlling shrimp pathogens by preventive probiotics being importance to sustain the aquaculture system. In this study, the effect of potential probiotics, Bacillus subtilis and Enterococcus sp. was related to growth, digestive enzyme activities (trypsin and chymotrypsin) and pathogenic resistance by postlarval black tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon). The experiment was divided into two treatments, in triplicate, with and without supplementation of probiotics as a food additive. Shrimp fed with probiotics for a culture period of 84 days showed a significant increase (P < 0. 05) in weight (2. 03 ± 0. 29 g) and survival (71. 91 ± 3. 15 %) in comparison with non-treated shrimp (1. 53 ± 0. 28 g and 65. 20 ± 5. 68 %, respectively). Trypsin activity of treated shrimp was significantly higher (P < 0. 05) than that of control shrimp whereas chymotrypsin activities of the two treatments were not significantly different (P > 0. 05). After challenging P. monodon postlarvae with a shrimp pathogen, Vibrio harveyi for 10 days, percentage of mortality of P. monodon postlarvae fed with probiotics was 46. 67 ± 1. 44 %, significantly lower (P < 0. 05) than that of non-treated shrimp (61. 67 ± 6. 29 %). This study showed that potential probiotics was appropriate for application in P. monodon postlarvae cultivation under laboratory condition due to improvement of shrimp weight and survival, enhancement of trypsin activity and reduced mortality causing by pathogenic V. harveyi. This is the first publication reported the effect of probiotics on trypsin and chymotrypsin activities of P. monodon postlarvae. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht.