The effect of Bacillus spp. bacteria used as probiotics on digestive enzyme activity, survival and growth in the Indian white shrimp Fenneropenaeus indicus

• Published in: Aquaculture 2006-03, Vol.252 (2), p.516-524
• Main Authors: Ziaei-Nejad, Saeed, Rezaei, Mehran Habibi, Takami, Ghobad Azari, Lovett, Donald L., Mirvaghefi, Ali-Reza, Shakouri, Mehdi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: amylases; Animal aquaculture; animal growth; Animal productions; Aquaculture; Artemia; Bacillus; Bacillus (bacteria); Biological and medical sciences; Crustacea; developmental stages; Digestive enzyme activity; digestive enzymes; Digestive system; enzyme activity; Enzymes; feed conversion; Fenneropenaeus indicus; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; General aspects; Growth; Indian white shrimp; Invertebrates; Marine; mortality; nauplii; Probiotic; Probiotics; proteinases; Shellfish; shrimp; shrimp culture; shrimp farming; specific growth rate; Survival; triacylglycerol lipase
• ISSN: 0044-8486; 1873-5622
• DOI: 10.1016/j.aquaculture.2005.07.021

This study examined the effects of a commercial Bacillus probiotic on the digestive enzyme activity, survival and growth of Fenneropenaeus indicus at various ontogenetic stages in three separate experiments: (1) Nauplius 1–2 to Zoea 3, which were exposed to probiotic added directly to the water; (2) Mysis 1 to PL 14 in tanks, which were exposed to the probiotic either through adding it directly to the water or by feeding shrimp with probiotic-enriched Artemia; (3) postlarval shrimp reared in earthen ponds during the farming stages (PL 30 to PL 120), which were exposed to probiotic added to the water. The counts of Bacillus bacteria in the digestive tract in all treatments were significantly ( P < 0.05) higher than in controls (no Bacillus bacteria were detected in any controls), although total bacterial counts were not significantly different among treatments and controls. Colonization rates of shrimp digestive tracts by Bacillus bacteria were very low in all treatments in earthen ponds. In most treatments, the specific activities of amylase, total protease, and lipase were significantly higher ( P < 0.05) in shrimp to which probiotic had been administered, and shrimp that had received probiotic exhibited significant ( P < 0.05) increases in both survival (11–17% higher) and wet weight (8–22% higher) as compared to controls. Shrimp fed probiotic-enriched Artemia had significantly ( P < 0.05) higher Bacillus counts than did shrimp administered probiotic in the water, but growth and survival were not significantly different between the two modes of administration. Where probiotic was administered during both the hatchery stages (Nauplius 1–2 through PL 30) and the farming stages, the feed conversion ratio, specific growth rate, and final production were slightly, but significantly ( P < 0.05), higher in shrimp receiving the probiotic than in control shrimp which had received no probiotic. Because these improvements in growth parameters in postlarval shrimp were significant only in shrimp that had received the probiotic both during hatchery stages and during farming stages, it appears to be important for the shrimp to receive the probiotic in all ontogenetic stages in order for these improvements to be realized.