Administration of probiotic strain to improve sea bream wellness during development

Two bacterial strains Lactobacillus fructivorans (AS17B), isolated from adult sea bream ( Sparus aurata) gut, and Lactobacillus plantarum ( 906), isolated from human faeces, were administered contemporaneously, during sea bream development using Brachionus plicatilis and/or Artemia salina and dry feed as vectors. The probiotic treatment influenced gut colonization: at 35 days post-hatching ( p. h.) L. fructivorans was not present in the gut, but the treatment induced colonization by L. plantarum. At 66 days p. h., L. fructivorans was evident also in the control; moreover, when suitable environmental conditions appeared in the post-metamorphosis gastro-intestinal tract, competition between L. plantarum and L. fructivorans occurred. At 90 days p. h., L. plantarum was displaced by L. fructivorans that became significantly higher with respect to the control. In treated groups, probiotic administration significantly decreased larvae and fry mortality.