Natural dietary additive yellow loess as potential antibiotic replacer in Japanese eel,Anguilla japonica: Effects on growth,immune responses,serological characteristics and disease resistance against Edwardsiella tarda

The present experiment was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of an additive derived from the nature as an alternative of dietary antibiotic in Japanese eel, Anguilla japonica. Six experimental diets were formulated to contain no antibiotics or additive (yellow loess/YL) (control/CON), three graded levels of yellow loess at 5 (YL₅), 10 (YL₁₀) and 20 g/kg (YL₂₀), oxytetracycline at 5 (OTC) and amoxicillin at 10 g/kg amoxicillin (AMX) of diet. Weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) from fish fed CON or YL₅ diets were significantly lower than those of fish fed YL₂₀ or OTC diets. Among non‐specific enzyme, lysozyme activity of fish fed YL₂₀, OTC or AMX was detected to be significantly higher than that from fish fed CON or YL₅ diets, whereas superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity of the fish fed CON was significantly lower than that for fish fed other experimental diets. Challenge test with bacteria, Edwardsiella tarda, showed improved disease resistance among the fish fed different levels of natural additive without any statistical difference from those fed antibiotics (OTC and/or AMX) supplemented diets. Therefore, these results demonstrated the potential of natural feed additive, yellow loess to replace oxytetracycline and/or amoxicillin in Japanese eel, A. japonica.     

Effects of dietary astaxanthin on growth,antioxidant capacity and gene expression in Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei (1050 individuals with initial weight of 1.01 ± 0.001 g) were fed either control diet or one of six dietary astaxanthin (AX) concentration (25, 50, 75, 100, 125 and 150 mg kg⁻¹) diets for 56 days in 35 tanks (30 shrimp per tank). After 56 days of culture, shrimp‐fed AX125 and AX150 diets had higher (P < 0.05) weight gain, specific growth rate, total antioxidant status and lower (P < 0.05) superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) than shrimp fed control diet. After low dissolved oxygen stress for 1 h, survival rate of shrimp fed AX75, AX100, AX125 and AX150 diets was higher (P < 0.05) than that of shrimp fed control diet. Hypoxia inducible factor‐1α (HIF‐1α), cytosolic manganese superoxide dismutase (cMnSOD) and CAT mRNA expression levels of shrimp fed seven diets were significantly down‐regulated under hypoxia than under normoxia, but their expression levels were higher under hypoxia in shrimp fed AX‐supplemented diets than in shrimp fed control diet. About 70‐kDa heat‐shock protein (Hsp70) mRNA expression level of shrimp fed seven diets was significantly up‐regulated under hypoxia than under normoxia, but its expression level was lower under hypoxia in shrimp fed AX‐supplemented diets than in shrimp fed control diet.     

Growth,enzymatic glutathione peroxidase activity and biochemical status of juvenile barramundi (Lates calcarifer) fed dietary fermented lupin meal supplemented with organic selenium

To investigate the effects of high level of lupin meal (LM) supplemented with organic selenium (OS) on the growth and blood biochemistry of barramundi (Lates calcarifer), four isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets were prepared, containing either non‐fermented or fermented LM, and either supplemented with 2 mg OS/kg (LM, LM_OS, FLM and FLM_OS), or not. A fishmeal (FM)‐based diet formulated for juvenile barramundi was used as a control diet. Fish (initial mean weight of 5.88 g) were triplicated and fed the test diets for 75 days. The findings demonstrated that growth performance of fish fed with the FLM and FLM_OS diets were similar to fish fed with the FM diet (p > .05). The antioxidant glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activity, and haemoglobin (Hb) of fish fed with the FLM_OS diet were significantly higher than that of FM‐fed fish (p < .05). Plasma alanine aminotransferase (ALT) activity was significantly increased in fish fed with non‐fermented diets (LM and LM_OS) than in those fed with fermented LM diets (FLM and FLM_OS) (p < .05). However, there were no significant differences in ALT activity among LM_OS, FLM, FLM_OS and FM diets. There was an interaction between the LM and OS on plasma CK activity; the CK of fish fed with diets supplemented with OS was higher in non‐fermented LM diets but lower in fermented LM diets (p < .05). This study suggests that fermented LM have an obvious potential to substantially replace 75% FM protein in the diets of barramundi.     

The development of a formulated feed containing Ulva (Chlorophyta) to promote rapid growth and enhanced production of high quality roe in the sea urchin Tripneustes gratilla (Linnaeus)

This study investigated growth and gonad production of Tripneustes gratilla fed four protein‐rich artificial diets supplemented with varying amounts (0%, 5%, 15% and 20% weight/weight (w/w); designated 0, 5, 15 and 20U, respectively) of the macroalga Ulva over a 12‐week period. Gonad size, texture, colour and a number of production performance parameters were quantified and compared with urchins fed fresh Ulva (FU) and a combination of FU and artificial feed (FB). All artificial diets significantly (P ≤ 0.05) increased gonad somatic indices (GSI) compared with the FU treatment. The 20U treatment increased GSI by 205% by week 9, compared with a 57% increase in the GSI of urchins fed FU. Gonad colour was calculated using three colour parameters, namely L* (lightness), a* (redness) and b* (yellowness). Whereas L* and a* values did not differ significantly between treatments, b* values for all treatments, with the exception of the 20U and FB treatments, were significantly (P ≤ 0.05) lower or less yellow than the FU treatment by week 12. These results show that we have successfully formulated a feed (20U) which can produce commercially acceptable gonads in terms of both size and colour, indicating the potential for this artificial feed to support commercial echinoculture.     

Evaluation of dietary yellow loess as an antibiotic replacer on growth,immune responses,serological characteristics and disease resistance in rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss

A 12 weeks of feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of different levels of dietary yellow loess as an antibiotic (oxytetracycline) replacer in rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Five experimental diets were formulated to contain no antibiotics or yellow loess (control/CON), three graded levels of yellow loess 5 (YL₅), 10 (YL₁₀) and 20 g YL kg^?1 diet (YL₂₀) and oxytetracycline at 5 g OTC kg^?1 diet. Forty‐five fish averaging 39.4 ± 1.6 g (mean ± SD) were randomly distributed in to 15 aquaria. Triplicate groups of fish were fed one of the experimental diets at 1.5 ~ 1.9% of wet body weight per day. At the end of the feeding trial, average weight gain (WG) and specific growth rate (SGR) from fish fed CON diet were significantly lower than those from fish fed YL₁₀, YL₂₀ or OTC diets (P < 0.05). Lysozyme activity from fish fed YL₂₀ was detected to be significantly higher than that from fish fed CON diet (P < 0.05). While, superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity from fish fed YL₁₀ and YL₂₀ was recorded to be significantly higher than that from fish fed CON diet (P < 0.05). Fourteen days of challenge test with bacteria A. salmonicida showed significantly lower survival rate for CON than those of fish fed other experimental diets. Therefore, these results indicated that dietary yellow loess at 10–20 g kg^?1 could be a promising alternative of oxytetracycline in rainbow trout.     

Inosine supplementation effectively provokes the growth,immune response,oxidative stress resistance and intestinal morphology of juvenile red sea bream,Pagrus major

A feeding trial was conducted to determine effects of dietary inosine on growth, immune responses, oxidative stress resistance and intestinal morphology of juvenile red sea bream. A semi‐purified basal diet supplemented with 0 (D1, control), 2 g kg^?1 (D2), 4 g kg^?1 (D3), 6 g kg^?1 (D4) and 8 g kg^?1 (D5) dietary inosine, respectively, to formulate five experimental diets. Each diet was randomly allocated to triplicate groups of fish (initial weight: 8 g). After 50 days of feeding trial, fish fed diets with 4 g kg^?1 inosine had the highest (p < .05) final weight, weight gain and specific growth rate. Similarly, improved feed intake, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio were also found at 4 g kg^?1 inosine supplemented group. Some non‐specific immune parameters such as total serum protein, lysozyme activity and bactericidal activity tended to be higher for fish fed diets supplemented with inosine. Peroxidase and catalase activity also influenced (p < .05) by dietary inosine supplementation. Fish fed 2 g kg^?1 and 4 g kg^?1 inosine supplemented diets showed the least oxidative stress condition. Inosine supplementation significantly increased (p < .05) anterior enterocyte height and posterior fold height, enterocyte height and microvillus height compared with control. We concluded that 4 g kg^?1 dietary inosine supplementation effectively provokes growth and health performance of red sea bream by increasing growth, immune response, oxidative stress resistance and intestinal health condition.     

Spirulina as a natural carotenoid source on growth, pigmentation and reproductive performance of yellow tail cichlid Pseudotropheus acei

A feeding trial on yellow tail cichlid Pseudotropheus acei (Regan 1922) was undertaken to asses the effect of dietary Spirulina meal as a natural carotenoid source. Four experimental diets were formulated to progressively replace 0% (C), 2.5% (SP2.5), 5% (SP5) and 10% (SP10) of fish meal weight. Ten fish per tank (initial weight 3.75?±?0.02?g) were randomly distributed into twelve 80?l fiberglass tanks connected to a closed recirculation system (temperature 26.7?±?0.06°C). The diets were tested in triplicate for 12?weeks. The specific growth rate of fish fed all Spirulina diets were significantly higher compared to diet C. Feed intake (FI) tended to increase with dietary Spirulina level, and fish fed diet SP10 had significantly higher FI values compared to diet C. No significant differences in feed conversion ratio were observed among these groups. Although the protein efficiency ratio of fish fed diet C was lower than that of all Spirulina diets, no significant differences were observed among these groups (P?>?0.05). The total egg production and hatching rate (%) of eggs derived from all fish fed with Spirulina diets was significantly higher compared those from fish fed diet C. The yellow and blue coloration of yellow tail cichlid fed the diet containing Spirulina meal was enhanced and inclusion of dietary Spirulina meal was elevated carotenoids in skin. Results of the present study indicated that Spirulina meal has the potential to enhance the growth, reproductive performance and coloration on yellow tail cichlid.     

Effects of dietary Nutrafito Plus on growth,haemotological parameters and total ammonia‐nitrogen excretion of juvenile striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus

A feeding trial was performed to determine the effect of a commercial source of Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponaria extracts (Nutrafito Plus^®), in practical diets, on striped catfish Pangasianodon hypophthalmus growth, feed utilization, body composition, total ammonia‐nitrogen (TAN) excretion and haematological parameters. Four experimental diets were supplemented with Nutrafito Plus^® at 0%, 0.01%, 0.02% and 0.03% (diets: control, N01, N02 and N03 respectively). Three replicate groups of striped catfish, with initial mean weight of 1.78 ± 0.05 g, were fed one of the four diets for 12 weeks. The specific growth rate (SGR) and final weight of fish fed diet N03 was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than fish fed the other dietary treatments. The growth performance of fish fed diets N01 and N02 were not significantly different compared to fish fed the control diet. Striped catfish fed diet N03 had improved feed conversion ratio (FCR), net protein utilization (NPU) and protein efficiency ratio (PER) than the control (P < 0.05). The inclusion of the high dietary level of Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponaria, diet N03, reduced TAN compared to all groups. Dietary inclusion of Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponaria at all levels investigated did not affect the whole body proximate composition of the striped catfish (P > 0.05). The packed cell volume (PCV) and haemoglobin level in fish fed diet N03 was significantly higher than in the fish fed the control diet. The present study demonstrates that dietary inclusion of Yucca schidigera and Quillaja saponaria induced positive effects on growth performance and haematological parameters and decreased TAN excretion in striped catfish.     

Dietary supplemental effects of red seaweed Eucheuma denticulatum on growth performance,carcass composition and blood chemistry of juvenile Japanese flounder,Paralichthys olivaceus

A 56‐day feeding trial was conducted to determine the effects of supplementing diets of juvenile Japanese flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, with Eucheuma denticulatum (EDP). Isonitrogenous and isolipidic test diets were prepared using a fishmeal‐based positive control diet (PC) and a fishmeal‐soy protein concentrate negative control diet (NC) supplemented with 3 (D3%), 6 (D6%) and 9% (D9%) EDP. The test diets were assigned to tanks (12 fish tank^?1, initial mean body weight of 0.42 ± 0.01 g) in triplicates. Results of the feeding trial indicated that growth rates and feed efficiency significantly improved (P < 0.05) when 3% EDP was supplemented in the diets. However, there was a significant reduction (P < 0.05) of growth and feed efficiency in fish fed diets with higher supplementation levels. Protein, lipid, dry matter and ash contents of carcass and their corresponding nutrient retention values were not markedly altered in all dietary treatments. Fish fed diets supplemented with EDP exhibited higher (P < 0.05) omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acid accumulation in dorsal muscle when compared with those of fish fed NC. Blood chemical parameters showed significant differences (P < 0.05) in total cholesterol and triglyceride levels. These results suggest that EDP can be efficiently utilized by Japanese flounder and can promote best growth and feed utilization at a level of 3%.     

Growth performance,haematological parameters,antioxidant status and salinity stress tolerance of juvenile Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) fed different levels of dietary myo‐inositol

A 10‐week growth trial was run to evaluate effects of myo‐inositol (MI) on growth performance, haematological parameters, antioxidative capacity and salinity stress tolerance of Litopenaeus vannamei. Six practical diets supplemented with graded levels of MI (designated as MI0, MI600, MI1200, MI2400, MI 3600 and MI4800 for 448.8, 974.2, 1568.0, 2810.6, 3835.5 and 4893.6 mg/kg diet, respectively) were fed to six replicate groups of L. vannamei (mean initial body weight 0.63 ± 0.00 g). The results showed that significant increment of growth performance was observed in shrimp fed MI600 diet than those fed MI1200 diet. Lipid concentration in whole body of the shrimp fed MI600 diet was significantly increased. Shrimp fed MI0 diet had lower total protein (TP) as compared to shrimp fed the MI‐supplemented diets (except MI4800 diet). In general, lower activities of antioxidant enzymes and higher malondialdehyde (MDA) content in haemolymph and hepatopancreas were recorded in shrimp fed MI0 diet, compared to those fed the MI‐supplemented diets. Reduced survival after 7‐h salinity stress was present in shrimp fed MI0 diet as compared to those fed MI4800 diet. Dietary MI requirement for glutathione peroxidase activity of L. vannamei was 2705 mg/kg diet.     

Effects of dietary supplementation of glycyrrhizic acid on growth performance,survival, innate immune response and parasite resistance in juvenile large yellow croaker,Larimichthys crocea (Richardson)

An 8‐week feeding experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary glycyrrhizic acid (GA) on growth, survival and immune response of juvenile large yellow croaker, in seawater floating net cages. GA was supplemented into the basal diet to formulate four isonitrogenous and isoenergetic practical diets containing 0.00% (the control diet), 0.01%, 0.02% and 0.04% GA of dry weight, respectively. Triplicate groups of 60 fish were fed to apparent satiation by hand twice daily. The results showed that the specific growth rate, survival rate and feed efficiency ratio revealed no significant differences among dietary treatments (P > 0.05). The phagocytic index of head kidney macrophage was significantly increased by the supplementation of 0.04% dietary GA compared to the control group (P < 0.05). Fish fed 0.04% dietary GA also showed significantly higher serum lysozyme activity than fish fed the control diet and diet with 0.01% GA (P < 0.05). The cumulative mortality rate after natural infestation of parasites (protozoan, Cryptocaryon irritans Brown) showed no significant differences among dietary treatments. These results suggested that dietary glycyrrhizic acid improved certain non‐specific immunological parameters of juvenile large yellow croaker. However, GA was not able to protect juvenile large yellow croaker effectively from protozoan infection.     

The effects of dietary vitamin C on growth performance,serum enzymes activities and resistance to Vibrio alginolyticus challenge of yellow drum Nibea albiflora

A 9‐week feeding trial was conducted to determine the optimal dietary vitamin C requirement and its effects on serum enzymes activities and bacterial resistance in the juvenile yellow drum Nibea albiflora (initial weight 33.2 ± 0.10 g). Six practical diets were formulated containing vitamin C 2.1, 45.3, 89.6, 132.4, 178.6 and 547.1 mg kg^?1 diet supplied as l ‐ascorbyl‐2‐monophosphate. The fish fed 547.1 mg kg^?1 diet showed a significantly higher survival than that fed 2.1 mg kg^?1 diet. The weight gains and specific growth rate of the fish fed 2.1 mg kg^?1 diet were significantly lower than those of the fish fed 89.6–547.1 mg kg^?1 diets. The liver vitamin C concentration firstly increased with increasing dietary vitamin C supply from 2.1 to 178.6 mg kg^?1 diet and then stabilized. The serum superoxide dismutase activities of the fish fed 547.1 mg kg^?1 diet were significantly lower than those of the fish fed 2.1–89.6 mg kg^?1 diet. The fish fed 2.1 mg kg^?1 diet had a significantly higher alkaline phosphatase activity than those in the other groups except the 45.3 mg kg^?1 group. Fish that received diets containing vitamin C at 547.1 mg kg^?1 had significantly higher nitro blue tetrazolium and lysozyme activity, and fish that received diets containing vitamin C at 45.3–547.1 mg kg^?1 exhibited resistance against Vibrio alginolyticus infection. The dietary vitamin C requirement of the juvenile yellow drum was established based on broken‐line model of weight gain to be 142.2 mg l ‐ascorbyl‐2‐monophosphate kg^?1 diet.     

Dietary pyridoxine promotes growth and cellular metabolic plasticity of Chanos chanos fingerlings exposed to endosulfan induced stress

An attempt was made to assess the effect of dietary pyridoxine supplementation on growth performance and cellular metabolic enzymes of Chanos chanos fingerlings under endosulfan induced stress. Two‐hundred and twenty‐five fish were randomly distributed into five treatments, each with three replicates and fed four isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets with graded levels of pyridoxine for 45 days. Endosulfan concentration in the water was maintained at sublethal level of 1/40th of 96 h LC₅₀ (0.52 ppb). Dietary pyridoxine supplementation significantly enhanced growth performance viz. weight gain (%), specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio of fish compared to control diet fed group. The results of this experiment revealed that the activities of digestive and metabolic enzymes were significantly improved after feeding with dietary pyridoxine supplementation in C. chanos. Significantly increased muscle and brain ascorbic acid content was observed in fish fed diets containing pyridoxine. Histological studies on liver of fish fed pyridoxine‐supplemented diet showed the normal architecture of hepatocytes compared to non‐pyridoxine fed group. The results obtained in this study revealed that the inclusion of pyridoxine in diet has a protective effect against endosulfan induced stress in C. chanos fingerlings through metabolic enzyme activities and vitamin C content. This study has a potential in ameliorating the toxic effect of endosulfan induced stress using dietary supplementation of pyridoxine.     

The effects of dietary lipid levels on performance and heat‐shock protein response of juvenile white seabass,Atractoscion nobilis

A feeding trial was conducted to study the effect of dietary lipid on growth performance and heat‐shock protein (HSP70 and HSP60) response of white seabass (WSB), Atractoscion nobilis. Five diets were formulated to contain 440 g kg^?1 protein from 300 g kg^?1 fish meal, 240 g kg^?1 soybean meal and 100 g kg^?1 soy protein concentrate with different levels of lipid: 100, 120, 140, 160 or 180 g kg^?1. At the end of the trial, heat shock response based on HSP70 and HSP60 was measured in liver and white muscle from fish at ambient temperature and temperature shock conditions. Final weight and percent gain were significantly higher for fish fed the 100 g kg^?1 lipid diet than for fish fed the rest of the diets (P ≤ 0.05). Feed conversion ratio was lowest for fish fed the 100 g kg^?1 lipid diet. The HSP70 and HSP60 responses were positively correlated to dietary lipid levels following temperature shock. At ambient temperature, HSP60 and HSP70 responses in muscle and HSP60 response in liver increased with dietary lipid level. Temperature shock significantly increased the HSP response of fish in all treatments. Results of this study demonstrated that a moderate (110–120 g kg^?1) level of dietary lipids would be recommended for production diets but a higher dietary lipid level may be required for optimal stress tolerance.     

Essential amino acids supplementation to practical diets affects growth,feed utilization and glucose metabolism‐related signalling molecules of blunt snout bream (Megalobrama amblycephala)

Six diets were formulated to investigate the success of fish meal (FM) replacement by plant proteins; diet 1 reflected a commercial feed (8% FM), diet 3 contained 4% FM, and diet 5 was devoid of FM. Whereas, diet 2, diet 4, and diet 6 reflected diet 1, diet 3, diet 5, respectively, and supplemented with essential amino acid (EAA). At the end of 8‐week trial, there was no significant difference in survival rate. Significantly higher final weight, weight gain rate, and specific growth rate were recorded in the group fed diet 2 compared with the other treatments (except diet 4) (p < 0.05). Feed conversion ratio of fish fed diet 2 was significantly lower than those fed diets 1, 3, and 5 (p < 0.05). The lowest feed intake and highest protein efficiency rate were found in fish fed diet 2 (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference in whole body compositions between treatments. Plasma aspartate transaminases, alanine aminotransferase, and glucose were significantly affected by dietary treatments (p < 0.05), while plasma protein and albumin contents were not influenced by the treatments. The relative expression of target of rapamycin (TOR) and phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase, regulatory subunit 1 (alpha) (PIK3R1) in fish fed diet 3 (4% FM) were significantly down‐regulated compared with those fed diet 6 for TOR and diets 4 and 6 for PIK3R1 (p < 0.05). Insulin receptor substrate 1 (IRS‐1) and janus kinase 3 (JAK3) expressions were fluctuated, with the higher levels in fish fed diets 4 and 6. In conclusion, the findings of this study indicate that plant protein mixture supplemented with EAA could be used to substitute FM in practical diet for Megalobrama amblycephala.     

Nano zinc vis‐à‐vis inorganic Zinc as feed additives: Effects on growth,activity of hepatic enzymes and non‐specific immunity in rohu,Labeo rohita (Hamilton) fingerlings

The effects of dietary administration of inorganic zinc (zinc sulphate, ZnSO₄) and nano zinc (zinc oxide nanoparticles, ZnO‐NP) were evaluated in rohu, Labeo rohita fingerlings. Fish were fed with a basal diet (Control) supplemented with ZnSO₄ (T1, T2 and T3) and ZnO‐NP (T4, T5 and T6) at 10, 20 and 30 mg/kg, respectively, for a duration of 45 days. The results revealed that fish fed diet containing 20 mg ZnO‐NP per kg (T5) had the highest weight gain and specific growth rate (SGR, % per day), which was significantly different (p < .05) from the other experimental diets. Significantly (p < .05), higher activities of the digestive and metabolic enzymes were recorded in the fish fed ZnO‐NP containing diets as compared to the diets containing inorganic Zn or control diet. The maximum serum glucose and protein levels were noted in fish reared on diet T5. Both SGOT and SGPT activities were significantly increased in fish fed Zn‐supplemented diets (T1 to T6), as compared to the control group. Similarly, innate immune parameters were improved with feeding Zn incorporated diets. The highest phagocytic (40.74 ± 0.65%) and respiratory burst (0.33 ± 0.001, OD 630nm) activities were recorded in the fish fed diet containing ZnO‐NPs at 20 mg/kg (T5). The maximum superoxide production and serum peroxidase activity were detected in the fish fed T5 and T6 diets. Overall, results indicated that short‐duration feeding (≤45 days) of dietary ZnO‐NP (20 mg/kg) improved growth, enzyme activity, serum biochemical parameters and immune function in rohu fingerlings.     

Effects of dietary nucleotides on growth,survival and metabolic response in whiteleg shrimp,Litopenaeus vannamei against ammonia stress condition

This trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of nucleotides on growth of whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei, and the survival and metabolic responses to ammonia stress test. Experimental diets were as follows: low fish meal diet (LFMD), and four LFMD test diets, each supplemented with 0.1% guanosine monophosphate (GMP), 0.1% inosine monophosphate (IMP), 0.1% mixture of GMP and IMP and 0.1% mixture of GMP, IMP, uridine monophosphate (UMP) and cytidine monophosphate (CMP). The shrimp specimens (initial body weight: 0.99 ± 0.01 g) were randomly allocated into five groups and fed four times daily for 8‐weeks. After the trial, final body weight was recorded and haemolymph was withdrawn for haematological analysis. The shrimp was then challenged with 70 mg/L ammonia (LC50) for 10 days. Survival and haemolymph of the shrimp were taken after exposure to ammonia. The highest growth performance was observed in the shrimp fed diet supplemented with GMP (p < .05), while survival was not influenced by the test diets in the feeding trial. In the ammonia challenge test, the highest survival was observed in the shrimp fed GMP supplemented diet compared to others. The plasma protein, glucose and cholesterol levels increased in all the treatments while triglycerides level decreased post challenge. Cortisol level recovered at day 10th after the challenge. Shrimps fed with nucleotides diets showed higher protein and glucose level compared to control groups post challenge. In general, nucleotides supplemented in the diet enhanced growth, improved stress resistance while modulating the haemolymph metabolites in L. vannamei under ammonia stress.     

Hypoxia‐induced changes in survival,immune response and antioxidant status of the Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) fed with graded levels of dietary myo‐inositol

A 3‐hr experiment was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary myo‐inositol (MI) supplementation on survival, immune response and antioxidant abilities in Litopenaeus vannamei under acute hypoxia stress. Six practical diets were formulated with supplementation of graded levels (control group 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, 0.8 and 1.6 g/kg dry diet) of MI and were randomly assigned to triplicate groups of L. vannamei (mean weight 0.40 ± 0.00 g) for 8 weeks. Ten healthy shrimp (final mean weight approximately 11–14 g) randomly selected from each tank were exposed to hypoxia stress after feeding trial. After 3‐hr acute hypoxia stress, survival of shrimp fed MI‐supplemented diets (except 0.1 and 0.4 g/kg diets) was significantly increased compared with the control group. Shrimp fed control diet had lower activities of alkaline phosphatase (AKP), acid phosphatase (ACP), total antioxidant capacity (T‐AOC) and glutathione peroxidase (GPX), and higher malondialdehyde (MDA) and protein carbonyl (PC) contents in hepatopancreas than those fed the MI‐supplemented diets. In addition, mRNA expression levels of heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70), catalase (CAT) and penaeidin were significantly differentially regulated in hepatopancreas. In summary, dietary MI supplementation may have a positive effect on improving resistance to acute hypoxia stress of L. vannamei.     

Dietary administration of natural immunostimulants on growth performance,haematological, biochemical parameters and disease resistance of Asian Sea bass Lates calcarifer (Bloch, 1790)

This study was aimed to address the promising evaluation of Cissus quadrangularis plant (stem) and lipopolysaccharide (LPS from bacteria) supplemented diets on innate immune response in Lates calcarifer fingerlings against Aeromonas hydrophila infection. Fingerlings were fed supplemented diets containing four different concentrations of C. quadrangularis (0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 g kg^?1 feed), LPS (25, 50, 75 and 100 mg kg^?1 feed) and control (normal formulated diet) for 60 days. The fish fingerlings fed supplemented diet displayed significant differences (P < 0.05) in specific growth rate (SGR) and relative percentage survival compared to the control group fed without C. quadrangularis and LPS‐supplemented diet. Fingerlings were injected intraperitoneally with 100 μL lethal dose of A. hydrophila containing 1 × 10⁶ CFU g^?1. Supplementation of C. quadrangularis and LPS diet significantly increased biochemical profile such as protein, lipid and carbohydrate content, haematological parameters of L. calcarifer fingerlings in different experimental periods when compared with the control group. Dietary doses of C. quadrangularis and LPS‐supplemented diet significantly influenced growth performance and increased survival rate in L. calcarifer fingerlings against A. hydrophila infection.     

Effects of dietary inactivated Pediococcus pentosaceus on growth performance,feed utilization and blood characteristics of red sea bream,Pagrus major juvenile

A feeding trial was carried out to determine effects of dietary supplements of inactivated Pediococcus pentosaceus (PP) on growth, feed utilization and blood characteristics of red sea bream. Five diets containing different concentrations [0 (PP0), 1.6 × 10¹⁰ (PPI), 1.6 × 10¹¹ (PPII), 1.6 × 10¹² (PPIII) and 3.2 × 10¹² (PPIV) cells g^?1] of PP were fed to fish for 56 days. At the end of the feeding trial, the obtained results revealed a significant increase (P < 0.05) in weight gain, specific growth rate and skin mucus secretion in all PP‐supplemented groups when compared with control group. Moreover, fish fed PPIII and PPIV diets resulted in significantly higher final body weight, feed efficiency ratio and bactericidal activity than those of fish fed PP0 diet (P < 0.05). Further, fish fed the PPIII diet also had a higher feed intake, protein efficiency retention, haematocrit, mucus lysozyme activity (LA), plasma and serum proteins than those of PP0 fed group (P < 0.05). Similarly, fish fed PPIV diet resulted in a significant increase in serum LA, peroxidase activity and tolerance against low‐salinity stress test (P < 0.05). Considering these promising results, we suggest that the supplementation of PP Prep improves growth and health conditions of Pagrus major.