PROBIOTICS AS A BIOTECHNOLOGICAL TOOL IN SHRIMP CULTURE: A REVIEW

Abstract

Probiotic bacteria are dened as live microorganisms that administered as a diet supplement can cause modications in the microbiota associated with the gastrointestinal tract of the host and generate benecial effects such as an increase in the food intake conversion, disease resistance and water quality. During the last decade, its application in shrimp farming has become frequent since several commercial products designed for this purpose have emerged. At the same time, although there are a number of scientic articles published on the subject, it is evident that there is a lack of studies oriented to understand the probiotics working mechanisms and to establish the protocols for its implementation, taking into account critical factors such as the stage of cultivation, culture density and dosage in relation to the shrimp immune defense mechanisms and presence of potentially pathogenic organisms. This paper aims to review the most prominent publications regarding the use of probiotics in aquaculture, particularly in shrimp farming, since its use seems to be the alternative with better perspectives to the indiscriminate use of antibiotics that cause problems such as the emergence of multi-resistant bacterial strains that could alter the ecosystems near acuaculture sites and even affect consumer health.