Probiotics in shrimp aquaculture: Avenues and challenges

Abstract

As an alternative strategy to antibiotic use in aquatic disease management, probiotics have recently attracted extensive attention in aquaculture. However, the use of terrestrial bacterial species as probiotics for aquaculture has had limited success, as bacterial strain characteristics are dependent upon the environment in which they thrive. Therefore, isolating potential probiotic bacteria from the marine environment in which they grow optimally is a better approach. Bacteria that have been used successfully as probiotics belong to the genus Vibrio and Bacillus, and the species Thalassobacter utilis. Most researchers have isolated these probiotic strains from shrimp culture water, or from the intestine of different penaeid species. The use of probiotic bacteria, based on the principle of competitive exclusion, and the use of immunostimulants are two of the most promising preventive methods developed in the fight against diseases during the last few years. It also noticed that probiotic bacteria could produce some digestive enzymes, which might improve the digestion of shrimp, thus enhancing the ability of stress resistance and health of the shrimp. However, the probiotics in aquatic environment remain to be a controversial concept, as there was no authentic evidence / real environment demonstrations on the successful use of probiotics and their mechanisms of action in vivo. The present review highlights the potential sources of probiotics, mechanism of action, diversity of probiotic microbes and challenges of probiotic usage in shrimp aquaculture.

Survival and Immunity of Marron Cherax cainii (Austin, 2002) Fed Bacillus mycoides Supplemented Diet under Simulated Transport

“…To date, improved stress tolerance and immunity by feeding probiotics have been documented in fish [11,24,25], shrimps [26][27][28][29] and molluscs [30,31] however information on probiotic-fed marron under practical transport conditions is not available. The present study evaluated the effect of simulated transport conditions on marron fed the probiotic B. mycoides by measuring intestinal bacterial population, total haemocyte count (THC), bacteraemia, morbidity, dehydration and mortality.…”

Antimicrobial and Enzyme Activity Produced by Bacillus Spp. Isolated From Soil

“…possess extracellular enzymes amylase and protease [35]. Previous studies reported that the Bacillus bacteria secrete many exoenzymes, such as proteases, carbohydrolases and lipases, which are very efficient in breaking down a large variety of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids into smaller units [36].…”

Biofloc technology: an emerging avenue in aquatic animal healthcare and nutrition

“…Since biofloc technology deals with the bacterial environment, it might also contain some immunostimulatory compounds that are beneficial for the health of cultured organisms. Microorganisms and their cell components have been studied and applied as probiotics or immunostimulants in order to improve the innate immunity and antioxidant status of the shrimp, thereby enhancing their disease resistance (Ninawe and Selvin 2009;Smith et al 2003;Vazquez et al 2009). Even though bioflocs have been confirmed as being the richest source of natural microorganisms and bioactive compounds, little effort was made to study its effect on the physiological health of cultured shrimp, particularly concerning immune and antioxidant defense systems.…”