Protective Evaluation of Feed Fortified with Alstonia Boonei and Mitracarpus Scaber in African Catfish Exposed to Aeromonas Hydrophila: Clinicopathology and Immunohistochemistry

The present study was carried out to determine the protective effects of two dietary plants and the associated pathology in African catfish exposed to A. hydrophila. Four hundred and twenty fish with average weight of 20.53±0.15 g were distributed equally (in triplicates) into seven experimental groups (six treatment groups and a control group) with 20 juvenile African catfish in each aquarium. Fish were fed for 84 days with control and six other experimental diets containing different percentages of Alstonia boonei (0.5%,1.0% and 1.5%) and Mitracarpus scaber (0.5%,1.0% and 1.5%) of the basal diets. At the end of 12th week, the fish were challenged with A. hydrophila and clinical signs and mortality rate were observed for fourteen days, post challenge. Blood and tissue samples were collected for analysis. All the groups fed with plant supplemented feed had 100% survival rate except A. boonei (0.5%) with 85% and control had 70% survival rate. The dietary plants also improved the haematological parameters and reduced the histopathological lesions associated with A. hydrophila exposure, compared to the control. These findings have demonstrated the protective potentials of A. boonei and M. scaber inculcated in feed against A. hydrophila infection in African catfish.