The use and selection of probiotic bacteria for use in the culture of larval aquatic organisms

Research in probiotics for aquaculture is at an early stage of development and much work is still needed. The principal bacterial groups tested as probionts in the culture of shrimp, crab, oyster and fish have been Vibrio, Pseudomonas, Bacillus, and several lactobacilli. The available information is inconclusive, since few experiments with sufficiently robust design have been conducted to permit critical evaluation. Experiments have mainly been conducted with fish larvae, where significant reductions in mortality have been obtained. Most of the work reviewed in this article describes commercial hatchery experiments rather than rigorous laboratory investigations and the focus is principally shrimp larviculture. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.