Dietary sodium alginate as an munostimulant in cultured oreochromis niloticus and its resistance against aeromonas hydrophila

Abstract EN

The present study was designed to determine the effect of dietary Sodium alginate on the cellular and humoral immune parameters, and disease resistance against infection with Aeromonas hydrophila in Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus.

400 cultured Nile tilapia with an average body weight 100 ± 10 g were kept in 4 cement ponds (100 fish each).

They were fed for 2 weeks on diets containing Sodium alginate of 0.5, 1.0, 2 g / kg diet for 3 groups and 4th group act as a control.

The results revealed significant increase in total leucocytic count, phagocytic activity and index, lysozyme conc., total protein, albumin and globulin than control ; the best conc.

was 2g / kg.

A significant increase in differential leucocytic count was also observed.

Electrophoretic pattern of serum proteins showed significant increase in ð-globulin by increasing the dose.

Mortality rate for experimental infection decreased by increasing dose to reach 60, 20 and 10 % for doses 0.5, 1.0 and 2.0g / kg respectively.