No abstract

No abstract

The e¡ects of two probiotics (P 1^L actobacillus acidophilus, Bi¢dobacterium bi¢dum and Enterococcus faecium and P 2^B acillus subtilis) supplemented to commercial feed (40% crude protein) on the haematological and immunological parameters of the bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus were studied. Two doses of each probiotic (5 and 10 g kg À 1 of food) were added to the diets and fed to frogs, totalling ¢ve treatments over112 days. Haematological analyses consisted of total and di¡erential leucocyte counts, erythrocyte and thrombocyte counts, haematocrit, haemoglobin levels and RBC indices (mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin^and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration) and the immunological parameters included phagocytic capacity and phagocytic index of peritoneal phagocytes. The results showed that the probiotics did not signi¢cantly in£uence any of the haematological parameters measured. However, immunological assays showed that the probiotics had an immunostimulating e¡ect. The greatest e¡ects were seen with probiotic P 1 fed at a dose of 10 g kg À 1 of diet and probiotic P 2 fed at 5 g kg À 1 of diet. Figure 2 Photomicrograph of abdominal lavage of bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) showing phagocytic cells with yeast in their interior (a^six yeasts, b^no yeast). Phase contrast microscope, Â 400 magni¢cation.