The immune status and tolerance of juvenile white leg shrimp, Penaeus vannamei against vibriosis upon administration of bacterial heat shock proteins

Abstract

Feeding aquatic animals with bacterial encapsulated heat shock proteins (Hsps) is potentially a new method to combat Vibriosis, an important disease affecting aquatic animals used in aquaculture. In this study, food pellets containing Escherichia coli over-expressing either DnaK-DnaJ-GrpE, the prokaryotic equivalents of Hsp70-Hsp40-Hsp20 (pellet P3+), or only DnaK (pellet YS2+), were prepared and the viability of bacteria on the pellets was determined. Maintaining pellets at different temperatures for varying lengths of time reduced the number of live adhering E. coli, as did contact with seawater, demonstrating that storage and immersion adversely affected bacterial survival and attachment to pellets. Thus, freshly coated pellets were fed to Penaeus vannamei juveniles and protection against pathogenic Vibrio harveyi was determined weekly for 1 month, work that included verification of their immune status upon bacterial Hsp uptake.