Abstract
Several eco-friendly natural substances can enhance the shrimp immune defence system therby acting as a prophylactic agent in feed additives. Agents such as (1, 3)-(1, 6)-D β-glucan and complex mannan-oligosaccharides located in yeast cell walls present such immunomodulatory and potential prebiotic properties. The aim of our study was to evaluate the effect of a commercial yeast cell wall extract (YCW) on shrimp performance and health status, and influence on gut microbiota. Juvenile Penaeus vannamei (Boone, 1931) were raised at an intensive shrimp farm and fed with two different diet inclusions levels of YCW, that is, 0.5% and 1.0%, in addition to a yeast free control group. After 102 days, animals were sampled, and standard nutrition performance parameters were measured. Additionally, the phylogenetic profile and composition of shrimp gut microbiota were evaluated. Animal performance, including growth and survival, was significantly better on animals fed with YCW than the control group. Furthermore, beneficial bacteria phylotypes were stimulated by the presence of YCW, positively modulating the gut microbiota, with emphasis on 1.0% YCW treatment. Therefore, YCW can be regarded as a prophylactic functional agent in the intensive rearing of juvenile P. vannamei thus improving animal performance and contributing to a healthy intestinal microbiota.
Highlights
Aquaculture is the most rapidly growing animal production sector and shrimp production already exceeds the capture fishery yield (Flegel, 2019)
The present study evaluated the influence of a commercial yeast cell wall extract (YCW) on the growth performance and feed efficiency of Penaeus vannamei
It analysed the gut microbiota composition of P. vannamei raised on an intensive system, simulating commercial shrimp farming conditions and providing realistic scenario
Summary
Aquaculture is the most rapidly growing animal production sector and shrimp production already exceeds the capture fishery yield (Flegel, 2019). Intensive shrimp production is facing many global challenges, with respect to infectious diseases such as Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis Disease (AHPND) and White Spot Disease (WSD) This scenario has led to the assessment that future sustainable shrimp aquaculture will depend on the development of more efficient bio-secure production systems that rear specific pathogen-free shrimp. The search to include sustainable feed supplements into shrimp diets could lead to the stabilization of potential beneficial bacteria in the digestive system and act as effective control agents to mitigate against disease and infection This has been recently comprehensively reviewed by Holt at al. It has been stated that it can improve growth performance, FCR, survival rates and the overall health status of shrimp and fish during the critical hatchery, nursery and grow- out phase We examine this potential in juvenile Pacific white shrimp (Penaeus vannamei Boone, 1931) under typical intensive farming conditions employing a commercial propriety feed
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