The use of immunostimulants in fish larval aquaculture

The use of immunostimulants, as dietary supplements, can improve the innate defence of animals providing resistance to pathogens during periods of high stress, such as grading, reproduction, sea transfer and vaccination. The immunomodulation of larval fish has been proposed as a potential method for improving larval survival by increasing the innate responses of the developing animals until its adaptive immune response is sufficiently developed to mount an effective response to the pathogen. To this end it has been proposed that the delivery of immunostimulants as a dietary supplement to larval fish could be of considerable benefit in boosting the animals innate defences with little detriment to the developing animal. Conversely, there is a school of thought that raises the concern of immunomodulating a neotanous animal before its immune system is fully formed as this may adversely affect the development of a normal immune response.