Effects of variable periods of food deprivation on the development of enteric septicemia in channel catfish

Enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), caused by the bacterium Edwardsiella ictaluri, is the most significant bacterial disease affecting channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus. Withholding feed during outbreaks of ESC is a widely accepted industry practice used to control losses from the disease. Scientific evidence concerning the validity of the practice is contradictory. Two studies were conducted to further evaluate the survival of channel catfish fingerlings following variable periods of feed deprivation before and after exposure to E. ictaluri in controlled aquarium experiments. In the first study, feed was withheld for varying time periods before bacterial challenge. After bacterial challenge, feed was either withheld or fish were fed daily. The second study utilized fish fed daily or fish deprived of feed 7 d before bacterial challenge. Daily feeding was resumed 4, 48, and 96 h after fish were exposed to E. ictaluri. In both experiments, the prechallenge feed treatments did not affect mortality. In contrast, withholding feed after bacterial challenge reduced mortalities by 52% in experiment 1 and by 45% in experiment 2. The highest mortality was observed when fish were fed immediately after immersion exposure and the lowest when fish were completely denied feed or fed daily starting 96 h after challenge. This reduction in mortality occurred when the concentration of E. ictaluri in aquarium water was negligible. These data suggest that when E. ictaluri is present in the water, feeding fish increases mortality by enhancing oral exposure to the pathogen.