Effects of synbiotics on innate immunity in the stinging catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis)

Abstract

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of dietary synbiotic (a group of probiotics at a dose of 3.09×10⁸CFU/ml with a mixture of prebiotics) supplementations on the innate immunity of stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis. A total of 1000 H. fossilis fries with an average initial weight of 2.03±0.15 g and an average length of 6.96±0.45 cm was randomly stocked into four groups T1 (control: no synbiotic), T2 (4%), T3 (6%), T4 (8%) groups. During the 45-day feeding trial, fish were fed twice a day at a rate of 3% body weight. Additionally, T2 (4% synbiotic), T3 (6% synbiotic), and T4 (8% synbiotic) received synbiotic supplementations (4%, 6%, and 8% of basal feed, respectively) once every 15 days. Results showed improvement in innate immunity of experimental units in terms of composition of WBC, Neutrophil, Basophil, Eosinophils, Lymphocytes. Though the number of WBC was not significantly higher but the increased composition of other white blood cells indicates that synbiotic supplementation can potentially improve the immunity status of H. fossilis, and the results can be supported through further investigations.