Effect of Lactococcus lactis CLFP 100 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides CLFP 196 on Aeromonas salmonicida Infection in Brown Trout (Salmo trutta)

Aeromonas salmonicida is the etiological agent of furunculosis in salmonid fish. This pathogen is important from an epizootic perspective because fish surviving an outbreak can remain lifelong asymptomatic carriers, serving as reservoirs of infection. As a result, the early detection and the control of infection are essential to prevent the spread of new furunculosis outbreaks. We have thus analyzed the effect of probiotic administration on the incidence of A. salmonicida in brown trout (Salmo trutta), that were subjected to temperature stress. Treatment with probiotic strains (Lactococcus lactis CLFP 100 and Leuconostoc mesenteroides CLFP 196) resulted in a higher survival rate after challenge, activation of phagocytic cells in the head kidney, and a lower rate of pathogen proliferation in the intestine as determined by real-time PCR. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel