Contribution of microalgae-enriched fodder for the Nile tilapia to growth and resistance to infection with Aeromonas hydrophila

We studied the impact of using fodder enriched with the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis or the green alga Chlorella vulgaris or a consortium containing both of them on growth, biochemistry profile and immune status of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fish. A set of 240 males challenged with Aeromonas hydrophila one week before the end of 9 weeks experimental period. The fodder supplemented with 15% (w/w) of Spirulina platensis, 15% of Chlorella vulgaris or 15% of their (1/1) mixture. Growth performance was measured all over 9 weeks. Challenge test was performed by infection with the pathogen after 8 weeks of growth. The serum total contents of protein, albumin, globulin, urea, creatinine and activities of aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), alkaline phosphatase (ALK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) were measured at 7 days before and after the infection. The results revealed significant increases in body weight of the Chlorella and their mixture (Chlorella and Spirulina) treated groups compared with the untreated control and the only Spirulina treated ones (p ≤ 0.05). Without infection, the serum total protein and serum globulin significantly increased by supplementation with the Spirulina, Chlorella and both compared to the uninfected control group. The serum albumin significantly decreased with Chlorella and the mixture supplementations. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the fish serum generally decreased with application of the enriched feed compared with the control. After infection, serum total protein and globulin significantly increased by the feed supplementations compared with the control group while the serum albumin insignificantly increased by supplementation with Chlorella and Spirulina. ALT, AST, ALK, LDH, urea and creatinine in the fish serum decreased with the microalgae additives compared with the control.