Evaluation of Potential Probiotics Bacillus subtilis WB60, Pediococcus pentosaceus, and Lactococcus lactis on Growth Performance, Immune Response, Gut Histology and Immune-Related Genes in Whiteleg Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

An eight-week feeding trial was conducted to evaluate the effects of different dietary probiotic supplements in juvenile whiteleg shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei. A basal control diet without probiotics (CON), and five other diets by supplementing Bacillus subtilis at 10(7) CFU/g diet (BS(7)), B. subtilis (BS(8)), Pediococcus pentosaceus (PP(8)), and Lactococcus lactis (LL(8)) at 10(8) CFU/g diet, and oxytetracycline (OTC) at 4 g/kg diet were used. Whiteleg shrimp with initial body weights of 1.41 ± 0.05 g (mean ± SD) were fed with these diets. Growth of shrimp fed BS(8) and LL(8) diets was significantly higher than those of shrimp fed the CON diet (p < 0.05). Superoxide dismutase activity in shrimp fed PP(8) and LL(8) diets was significantly higher than that of shrimp fed the CON diet (p < 0.05). Lysozyme activity of shrimp fed probiotics and OTC diets significantly improved compared to those on the CON diet (p < 0.05). The intestinal histology showed healthier guts for shrimp fed the probiotic diets (p < 0.05). Immune-related gene expression in shrimp fed BS(8), PP(8) and LL(8) diets was recorded as significantly higher than that of shrimp fed CON and OTC diets (p < 0.05). Also, results of the challenge test for 7 days and the digestive enzyme activity of shrimp fed BS(8), PP(8), and LL(8) were significantly improved compared to those on the CON diet (p < 0.05). Therefore, these results indicated that L. lactis at 10(8) CFU/g could be an ideal probiotic for whiteleg shrimp, and also B. subtilis WB60 and P. pentosaceus at 10(8) CFU/g could improve the growth, immunity, histology, gene expression, digestive enzyme activity, and disease resistance, while replacing antibiotics.