THE EFFECT OF A FEED ADDITIVE (PERMEABILIZING COMPLEX, PHYTOCHEMICAL AND ORGANIC ACIDS)  ON MANAGEMENT OF Vibrio LEVEL IN SHRIMP Penaeus monodon GUT AND PRODUCTION IMPROVEMENT

Disease is a major challenge in shrimp aquaculture. Vibrio sp., Gram-negative bacteria, is an opportunistic pathogen for shrimp. Vibrio can act as primary and secondary infection. AHPND (V. parahaemolyticus) and vibriosis (Vibrio spp.) are examples of primary infection. One recent report confirmed that AHPND toxin has been found in V. harveyii as well. As secondary infection, reports state that Vibrio can become more virulent following viral infections such as the case of virulent V. alginolyticus in ponds affected by WSSV. It is of utmost importance to manage Vibrio levels in ponds and in the shrimp gut to minimize the effect of Vibrio on such diseases. Due to antimicrobial resistance and other pond management issues, the application of antibiotics should be avoided. The aim of this study was to evaluate effect of an antimicrobial combination (permeabilizing complex, phytochemical and organic acids) to manage Vibrio levels in shrimp Penaeus monodon gut and improve production.

The study was conducted in P. monodon intensive pond for about 130 days. Six earthen ponds average 5938 m² size were used. Three ponds each were randomly assigned control and treatment. In each pond P. monodon fry were stocked at PL 15 with a density of 20 PLs/m². The combination of permeabilizing complex, phytochemical, organic acids consists of a commercial feed additive product (BIOMIN Biotronic^® TOP3) which was used at a dose of 0.8 kg/ton of feed. The feed additive was mixed in the feed during extrusion. Total Vibrio count (TVC) in the shrimp gut was measured every 15 days until DOC 60. Weekly ADG sampling and harvest data were collected. Water quality parameters were measured every 6-7 days.

The results of the study showed that TVC profile in the shrimp gut of the treatment group was lower than control (Figure 1), and ABW of shrimp in the treatment group was constantly above control (Figure 2). Harvest data on the treatment ponds showed improved final weight, ADG, survival and biomass (Table 1). These results indicate that the application of permeabilizing complex, phytochemical, and organic acids had an effect to manage Vibrio level and improved biomass.