Stimulation of Gut Immune System by Early Administration of Probiotic Strains in Dicentrarchus labrax and Sparus aurata

Early feeding (started during gut metamorphosis and establishment of the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal axis) with probiotic-supplemented diets, besides modifying the intestinal microflora, evoked profound effects on the physiology of fish larvae. Using rotifers and Artemia as living vectors, the autochthonous bacterium Lactobacillus delbrueckii delbrueckii or a multispecies probiotic formulation (autochthonous Lactobacillus fructivorans + Lactobacillus plantarum from human feces) were orally administered to sea bass and gilthead sea bream larvae, respectively. The treatments enhanced larval rearing (significantly increased body weight, decreased cortisol levels, and improved stress response compared with controls) and the immune system. In sea bass, the probiotic raised intestinal T cells, in keeping with increased total body TcR-beta transcripts, and increased acidophilic granulocytes concomitant to lower transcription of pro-inflammatory genes (IL-1-beta, TGF-beta, IL-10, Cox-2). In sea bream, the multispecies probiotic formulation raised intestinal immunoglobulin (Ig(+)) cells and acidophilic granulocytes mainly belonging to the MAb G7(+) phagocytic population. These results point to stimulatory actions of probiotics on the gut immune system that are devoid of harmful effects and that correlate with improvement of fry survival.