Enhancement of disease resistance of kuruma shrimp, Penaeus japonicus, after oral administration of peptidoglycan derived from Bifidobacterium thermophilum

Abstract The potency of oral administration of peptidoglycan (PG) derived from Bifidobacterium thermophilum was examined. PG was administered to kuruma shrimps through the diet at 0.2 mg/kg body weight/day for 7 consecutive days, alternated with 7 days without PG throughout a 95-day test period. The shrimps were sampled on day 65 and 95 and challenged by Vibrio penaeicida , which is highly virulent to shrimps, through a water-borne route. The survival rate of PG-fed group was significantly higher than the control ( P P P