The Use of Synbiotics to Prevent IMNV and Vibrio harveyi Co-Infection in Litopenaeus vannamei

This study evaluated the effects on viral immune responses and bacterial co-infection, of different feeding frequencies of a synbiotic supplemented diet given to Pacific white shrimp (L. vannamei). A synbiotic-supplemented diet was formulated from probiotic Vibrio alginolitycus SKT-bR and prebiotics from sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas L.) oligosaccharide. Pacific white shrimp were fed with synbiotic diet at different frequencies, i.e. daily (P1), twice a week (P2), and once a week (P3) for a 30 day pre-challenge test. After the 30 day feeding period, the shrimps were challenged by intramuscular injection of Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV) and Vibrio harveyi. The results showed that shrimp treated with a synbiotic-supplemented diet showed significantly higher growth performance than control groups (P