Aquaculture & Fisheries

Biography

Biography: Mst Nahid Akter

Abstract

The influence of the dietary probiotic, Lactobacillus acidophilus on growth performance, digestive enzyme activities, gut histo-morphology and microflora was determined in striped catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) juveniles. Four diets containing L. acidophilus at 103, 105, 107 and 109 CFU/g of diet and control (without L. acidophilus supplementation) were prepared and fed to triplicate groups of striped catfish juveniles (initial weight of 21.69±0.18 g) twice daily at 2.5% of fish body weight for 12 weeks. Weight gain, specific growth rate, feed conversion ratio and protein efficiency ratio in the groups fed 105 and 107 CFU/g of L. acidophilus were significantly improved (P<0.05) compared to the remaining treatment groups. Further, compared to control and fish fed low (103 CFU/g) L. acidophilus supplementation, those fed 105 and 107 CFU/g had significantly higher (P<0.05) apparent protein digestibility. Except for lipase activity, inclusion of L. acidophilus at 107 CFU/g diet significantly increased amylase and protease activities. Microscopic analysis showed that the villi length in both the anterior and posterior gut and microvilli length in the posterior gut only increased significantly (P<0.05) in fish fed L. acidophilus supplementation at 105 and 107 CFU/g of diet. The fish fed L. acidophilus supplemented diets significantly increased the total count of lactic acid bacteria in the gut of striped catfish compared to the control fed group. However, L. acidophilus supplementation did not show any significant effect of striped catfish survival. Based on gut histo-morphology and growth performance, inclusion of L. acidophilus at 105 CFU/g seem to have the most positive effect of striped catfish juvenile farming.