Probiotic microorganisms and antiviral plants reduce mortality and prevalence of WSSV in shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) cultured under laboratory conditions
The protective e!ect of a probiotic mixture (PM) and antiviral plants, against the white spot sindrome virus (WSSV) in Litopenaeus vannamei, was evaluated in three experiments. The PM was composed of four lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and one yeast strain. The plant mixture was composed of Ocimum sanctum and commercial antiviral plants (VPHs, HSVs) Shrimp in each experiment (weighing 2.7 0.7, 11.5 1.3, 11.70 2.5 g) were cultured in120 L plastic tanks and fed twice a day with commercial feed plus additives (plants or bacteria and yeast) Animals were monitored for the occurrence of WSSV by singlestep and nested PCR. The PMand powdered antiviral plants added to the commercial feed showed an increase in survival and a decrease in the prevalence of WSSV in shrimp. The results showed that both the PM and the powdered antiviral plants can provide protection for shrimp againstWSSV.