Mannooligosaccharides from copra meal improves survival of the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) after exposure to Vibrio harveyi

Abstract

Abstract This study investigated the effects of dietary mannooligosaccharides (MOS) from copra meal as a dietary feed additive on growth performance, disease resistance, and immune enhancement of the Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei . Experimental shrimp were fed with diets supplemented with 2, 3 and 4 g MOS per kg of pellet feed for 6 weeks prior to evaluation of their growth performance, pathogen resistance to Vibrio harveyi and innate immune responses. No significant differences in shrimp average weight and feed conversion ratios were found among all diet groups ( p > 0.05). While phagocytic indices and respiratory burst activities were not significantly different either, bactericidal activities were higher in the MOS-supplemented diet groups than the control group. Furthermore, when all diet groups were challenged with V. harveyi , the groups fed with MOS-supplemented diets showed significantly higher survival rates than the control group on day 3 ( p