The use of commercial feed and microdiets incorporated with probiotics in Penaeid shrimp culture: a short review

Abstract

Penaeus vannamei, or white shrimp, is an economically significant species that dominates shrimp production and represents a rapidly growing industry. However, the culture faces challenges due to high mortality rates due to bacterial and viral diseases. Unlike vertebrates, shrimp rely solely on their innate immunity for defense against pathogens. Introducing probiotics into shrimp culture can enhance growth, survival rates, and immune responses against disease outbreaks caused by pathogenic bacteria or viruses. Common diseases affecting shrimp farms include vibriosis, white spot disease, acute hepatopancreatic necrosis and black gill disease. These diseases can cause severe infections, which lead to high mortality rates. The application of probiotics, such as Bacillus cereus, B. licheniformis, B. subtilis, Lactobacillus sp., Paenibacillus, Pseudomonas sp., Pseudoaltermonas, and yeast, either through diet or direct administration, has demonstrated positive impacts on shrimp health, including enhanced growth, increased immunostimulation, improved gut microbiota, and better water quality parameters. In recent decades, aquafeed has explored effective solutions, such as microdiets, co-feeding (combining commercial feed and probiotics), and various microdiets types, to address aquaculture disease problems. Combining microdiets containing essential nutrients with probiotics has proven to be safer than antibiotics, which can adversely affect animals and the environment. However, further studies are needed to optimize the efficiency of feeding techniques by incorporating probiotics and commercial feed for disease resistance in penaeid shrimp culture. This review discusses commercial feeds and microdiets incorporated with probiotics for P. vannamei culture for growth and disease resistance to enhancement.