ASSORBIC ACID: NUTRITIONAL REQUIREMENT AND ROLE IN WOUND REPAIR IN PENAEID SHRIMP

Ascorbic acid (AsA) has been identified as a dietary requirement for cultured juvenile penaeid shrimp (Penaeus californiensis and Penaeus stylirostris). A dietary intake of 0.1% was sufficient to prevent nutrition-related deaths among these shrimp. Without sufficient dietary AsA, a deficiency death, Black Death, occurred. This disease is characterized by melanized hemocytic lesions distributed throughout the collagenous tissues of the shrimp' body. The specific requirement for AsA was demonstrated by feeding a special AsA supplement which resulted in the cessation of Black Death among an AsA-deficient population. Normal collagen metabolism and wound repair in two penaeid shrimp (Penaeus californiensis and Penaeus stylirostris) was shown to be dependent upon ascorbic acid (AsA) nutrition. A significantly greater number of mortalities occurred among wounded AsA-deficient shrimp of both species due to poor wound repair than among wounded controls.