Synergies between vaccination and dietary arginine and glutamine supplementation improve the immune response of channel catfish against Edwardsiella ictaluri. Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Channel catfish was used to investigate the enhancement of vaccine efficacy following dietary supplementation with arginine (ARG, 4% of diet), glutamine (GLN, 2% of diet), or a combination of both. After vaccination against Edwardsiella ictaluri, humoral and cellular immune responses, along with lymphoid organ responses were evaluated. E.ictaluri-specific antibody titers in plasma were higher (P<0.05) in fish fed the supplemented diets compared to those fed the basal diet as early as 7d post-vaccination (dpv). B-cell proportion in head-kidney was higher (P<0.05) at 14dpv in vaccinated fish fed the GLN diet. The responsiveness of spleen and head-kidney lymphocytes against E.ictaluri was enhanced (P<0.05) by dietary supplementation of ARG or GLN at 14dpv. Additionally, at 7dpv, vaccinated fish fed the GLN diet had higher (P<0.05) head kidney weights relative to the other dietary treatments, and vaccinated fish fed ARG-supplemented diets had higher (P<0.05) protein content in this tissue. Results from this study suggest that dietary supplementation of ARG and GLN may improve specific cellular and humoral mechanisms, enhancing the acquired immunity in vaccinated channel catfish.

published proceedings

  • Fish Shellfish Immunol

author list (cited authors)

  • Pohlenz, C., Buentello, A., Criscitiello, M. F., Mwangi, W., Smith, R., & Gatlin, D. M.

citation count

  • 40

complete list of authors

  • Pohlenz, Camilo||Buentello, Alejandro||Criscitiello, Michael F||Mwangi, Waithaka||Smith, Roger||Gatlin, Delbert M

publication date

  • January 2012