Growth parameters,innate immune response and resistance to Listonella (Vibrio) anguillarum of Dicentrarchus labrax fed carvacrol supplemented diets |
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| Authors: | Donatella Volpatti Bulfon Chiara Tulli Francesca Galeotti Marco |
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| Institution: | Aquaculture and Fish Pathology Research Group, Department of Food Science, University of Udine, , Udine, Italy |
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| Abstract: | The research was aimed to assess the effect of dietary carvacrol (0.025% and 0.05%) on sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) growth, immune response and resistance to Listonella anguillarum. Fish (69.2 ± 0.22 g) were fed the experimental diets for 9 weeks. Dietary carvacrol did not negatively affect fish survival, growth performance, feed intake and feed conversion ratio (P > 0.05) nor carcass yield and viscerosomatic, hepatosomatic and mesenteric fat index (P > 0.05). Serum and head kidney leucocytes were collected after 1, 4 and 8 weeks of feeding. Carvacrol significantly reduced serum proteins, immunoglobulins and lysozyme activity (P < 0.01) and moderately increased phagocytosis and pinocytosis of head kidney macrophages. The release of reactive oxygen species by leucocytes was reduced in carvacrol‐fed fish, even if significantly (P < 0.05) only in those fed 0.05% carvacrol for 1 week. Dietary carvacrol did not significantly affect the aspecific immune response, although a potential antioxidant activity might be speculated. Moreover, feeding carvacrol provided an appreciable resistance to a challenge with L. anguillarum, when a bacterial dose lower than the Lethal Dose50 was used. Cumulative mortality in fish fed 0.025% carvacrol was significantly lower than that of untreated controls (75% Relative Per cent Survival). |
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| Keywords: |
Dicentrarchus labrax
carvacrol phytotherapy immune response
Listonella anguillarum
disease resistance |
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