Vibrio and White Spot: the active compounds of NatControl^® reinforce innate immunity in shrimp

Vibriosis and White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) are among the biggest health challenges in shrimp farming. Vibrio alginolyticus and Vibrio parahaemolyticus cause mass mortality, affect several aquaculture species and are zoonotic; WSSV, according to industry data, can reach up to 100% cumulative mortality within days, with no effective conventional control tool.

An independent study published in Frontiers in Immunology evaluated andrographolide, one of NatControl^®‘s active compounds, in the diet of white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) for four weeks. The shrimp fed with it showed:

• More hemocytes and greater phagocytic capacity, which reinforce the shrimp’s innate defense.
• Better growth and feed conversion.
• Higher survival after a Vibrio alginolyticus challenge, regulating inflammation and oxidative damage in hemocytes and hepatopancreas through inhibition of the JNK pathway.

These immune mechanisms are also associated with greater resistance to WSSV. Because shrimp lack an adaptive immune system, tools that reinforce innate immunity are the available route for managing bacterial and viral disease pressure. Feed is the most practical way to deliver them at farm scale.