THE POTENTIAL OF COMPLEMENTARY MICROBIAL SOLUTIONS AGAINST THE RISK OF INTERACTING DISEASES IN POND AQUACULTURE

With the continuing desire for cost-effective productivity, embracing a well-informed, preventive and integrated approach to disease management is in fact a strategy for growth and performance. This is particularly true within semi-closed pond environments relying on a complex microbial balance and dependent on the prevalent environmental conditions.

Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) is an intracellular spore-forming parasite causing extensive hepatopancreas (HP) damages resulting in severe growth retardation with no apparent clinical signs. It generates severe losses across Asia in its own right but also acts as a major risk factor for various other infections such as Vibriosis and White Faeces Disease (WFD). It is evident that the damages and physiological stress inflected by EHP to the digestive system increase the animal susceptibility to other naturally occurring pathogens. This highlights the importance of reducing the environmental pathogen pressure and reinforcing the animal immune barriers while minimizing environmental fluctuations and the associated burden on the livestock.

Based on the current knowledge on EHP and WFD status and risk factors, the presentation will outline the complementary benefits of targeted in-feed and water microbial solutions within a broader best practice approach.  Key laboratory and farm trials results will present the possibility to mitigate pathogen pressure in the pond and gut system via microbial antagonisms, competition and bioremediation as well as to support robust intestinal health and shrimp immunity using targeted microbial solutions