Effects of dietary live yeast Hanseniaspora opuntiae C21 on the immune and disease resistance against Vibrio splendidus infection in juvenile sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

A feeding experiment was conducted to determine effects of Hanseniaspora opuntiae C21 on immune response and disease resistance against Vibrio splendidus infection in juvenile sea cucumbers Apostichopus japonicus. Sea cucumbers were fed with either diets containing C21 at 104, 105 and 106 CFU g−1 feed or a control diet for 30–50 days, respectively. After feeding for 30 days and 45 days, five sea cucumbers from each tank were sampled for immunological analyses. Results indicated that C21 significantly improved the phagocytic activity in coelomocytes of sea cucumbers (P < 0.05). Moreover, C21 administration significantly enhanced lysozyme (LSZ), phenoloxidase activity (PO), total nitric oxide synthase (T-NOS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), alkaline phosphatase (AKP) and acid phosphatase (ACP) activities in coelomic fluid, and LSZ, T-NOS, AKP and ACP activities in coelomocytes lysate supernatant (CLS) of sea cucumbers (P < 0.05). After feeding for 45 days, 10 sea cucumbers from each dose group were challenged with V. splendidus NB13. Cumulative incidence and mortality of sea cucumbers fed with C21 were found to be lower than those of control group. After feeding for 50 days, sea cucumbers in 104 CFU g−1 C21 treatment and control tanks were subjected to acute salinity changes (from 30 to 20) for 24 h in the laboratory, and the immunological parameters were measured to evaluate the immune capacities of the A. japonicus. Phagocytic, LAZ and T-NOS activities of C21-treated group were higher than those of control group, indicating that salinity stress tolerance of sea cucumber was enhanced by C21. The present results showed that a diet supplemented with C21 could stimulate the immune system of juvenile A. japonicus thus enhancing their resistance against V. splendidus.