Multistrain Probiotics Use In Main Commercially Cultured Freshwater Fish: A Systematic Review Of Evidence

This review aims to explore developments in the usage of multistrain probiotics in commercial freshwater-cultured fish and to address factors that affect the efficacies of multistrain probiotics to enhance growth parameters, survival after bacterial infection and immune modulation in comparison to monostrain probiotics. From bibliographic searches in Scopus, Web of Science and PubMed, it was possible to select 81 articles that evaluated multistrain probiotics supplementation during in vivo trials in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), common carp (Cyprinus carpio) and roho labeo (Labeo rohita). Most of the articles showed different benefits, including enhancement of fish growth performance, immune response and resistance against some pathogenic bacteria, such as Aeromonas hydrophila, Streptococcus agalactiae and Streptococcus iniae. However, only 13 journal articles included a monostrain probiotic as a control that would allow direct comparison with a probiotic bacterial mixture to determine if the mixture offered higher benefits in comparison to a monostrain probiotic and a control group without probiotic supplementation. Here we explain the main findings, including the best probiotic mixtures, and some perspectives on multistrain probiotics research and use on a commercial scale.