The link between shrimp health and gut microbiota is reciprocal. If it is clear that the digestive microbiota plays a crucial role in shrimp health, it also appears that shrimp health, in particular the immune status of the shrimp, influences the composition of the digestive microbiota.

Stéphane Ralite, aquaculture product manager at Lallemand, talked at the Aquatic Asia 2019 conference in Bangkok about the microbial and health management in shrimp farming and the company\'s recent advances. By taking a microbiologist’s approach to shrimp health, he highlighted the importance of both gut and water microbial ecosystems on shrimp health and performance.

Ralite said that the application of new metagenomics techniques enables to show that it is possible to orientate shrimps gut microbiota with probiotics in order to help enhance their resistance against pathogens or sanitary challenges. He presented the efficacy of probiotic bacteria Pediococcus acidilactici MA18/5M (BACTOCELL), the only probiotic authorized in the European Union for use in shrimp and fish, to help prevent the proliferation of Vibrio in vivo.

The results that were presented at the conference showed that this shrimp probiotic is effective in reducing oxidative stress. In consequence, shrimps are able to overcome important stresses such as pathogen pressure, temperature changes or pond transfer. In addition, this probiotic, associated with an innovative multi-strain yeast fractions product, is effective to reduce the impact of white feces disease.

Ralite demonstrated the link between microbial ecosystems equilibrium and shrimp health. He discussed the possibility of contributing to secure this equilibrium by managing gut and/or water microbiota, as part of good shrimp farming practices.

The company suggests that shrimp microbial management should be made as a multifactorial approach, involving shrimp nutrition and water and pond microbial management.