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Catfish Farming Case Studies

Case Study #1

Catfish Farming: Reduce the use of antibiotics and/or vaccines by using probiotics. Reduce channel catfish farming mortality due to ESC.
Client: Auburn University
Location: Auburn, Alabama
Objective: Reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics and/or vaccines by using probiotics. Reduce or prevent channel catfish farming mortalities from enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), as 50% of all channel catfish deaths are due to ESC.
Result: Fish developed resistance to ESC and resistance increased with each Lymnozyme® treatment.
Research company: Auburn University Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures

Auburn evaluated the use of Lymnozyme®, a commercially available patented probiotic, as an alternative to using vaccines or antibiotics in preventing or reducing channel catfish mortalities from ESC. ESC is a gram-negative bacterial pathogen (E. ictaluri) and is considered the most prominent disease affecting farm-raised channel catfish production. ESC affects all life stages and accounts for *50% of all yearly losses, costing catfish farmers millions of dollars (*Bilodeau et al. 2002; Francis-Floyd 1996).

Various challenge studies have determined that fish exposed to Lymnozyme® over a period of time develop resistance to ESC. In a series of four challenge tests, fish that were exposed to Lymnozyme® developed resistance when re-exposed to ESC. This represents a significant finding for a probiotic to not only control catfish farming mortality but possibly impart immunity to fish exposed to Lymnozyme® over a 12-day period. When fish were rechallenged with ESC after each exposure, resistance increased.

Lymnozyme® could be used in closed system recirculating systems to treat fry and fingerling catfish prior to stocking to grow-out ponds in a catfish production facility. Treated fish would then have resistance to ESC and survival numbers could be significantly higher.

Lymnozyme® has been tested against Aeromonas, Pseudomonas, Vibrio, Columnaris, Streptococcus, Allococcus, and other gram-negative pathogens. More research is on-going and will be reported in 2010.

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