Innovative use of squid (Loligo spp.) ink powder as a potent immunostimulant for vannamei shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in the treatment of infectious myonecrosis

Vet World Vol.18 June-2025 Article - 34

Research Article

Veterinary World, 18(6): 1777-1788

https://doi.org/10.14202/vetworld.2025.1777-1788

Mohamad Fadjar¹, Hartmut Kühn², Ayu Winna Ramadhani³, Diana Aisyah³, Cucun Herlina¹, Rangga Idris Affandi⁴, and Jefri Anjaini⁵

1. Department of Fisheries and Water Resource Management, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia.

2. Department of Biochemistry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

3. PSDKU Aquaculture, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, University of Brawijaya, Malang, Indonesia. 4.

4. Department of Fisheries and Marine Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Mataram, Mataram, Indonesia.

5. Department of Fisheries, Faculty of Fisheries and Marine Science, University of Jenderal Soedirman, Purwokerto, Indonesia.

Background and Aim: Infectious myonecrosis virus (IMNV) is a significant pathogen affecting Litopenaeus vannamei, causing high mortality and substantial economic losses in shrimp aquaculture. Conventional chemotherapeutics have limited efficacy and raise environmental concerns. This study explores the immunostimulatory potential of squid (Loligo spp.) ink powder as a natural dietary supplement to enhance the nonspecific immune responses in L. vannamei and mitigate IMNV-associated pathology.

Materials and Methods: A completely randomized design was employed, with five groups: a negative control (healthy shrimp), a positive control (IMNV-infected), and three treatment groups that received squid ink powder at 400, 500, and 600 mg/kg feed, respectively. The feed was administered before and after IMNV immersion challenge. Immune parameters assessed included total hemocyte count (THC), differential hemocyte count (DHC), respiratory burst (RB), phenoloxidase (PO), superoxide dismutase (SOD), phagocytic activity, and ribonucleotide reductase (RR) expression. Statistical analysis was conducted using a one-way analysis of variance with Duncan’s post hoc test.

Results: The 500 mg/kg dose of squid ink powder significantly enhanced shrimp immunity post-IMNV challenge. This treatment yielded the highest THC (6 × 105 cells/mL), RB (1.13 optical density [OD]), SOD (0.98 units/mL), PO (0.619 OD), and phagocytic activity. A marked reduction in RR enzyme expression was observed, indicating effective viral suppression. DHC analysis revealed elevated granulocyte and semi-granulocyte counts, suggesting heightened immunological activity. Water quality parameters remained within acceptable aquaculture limits, and proximate analysis confirmed an improvement in protein content in the feed following supplementation.

Conclusion: Squid ink powder at 500 mg/kg feed significantly enhances the non-specific immune system in L. vannamei and reduces IMNV-induced pathology. This natural additive offers a promising, sustainable alternative to synthetic immunostimulants in shrimp aquaculture.

Keywords: aquaculture health, immunostimulant, infectious myonecrosis virus, Litopenaeus vannamei, non-specific immune response, squid ink powder.

How to cite this article: Fadjar M, Kühn H, Ramadhani AW, Aisyah D, Herlina C, Affandi RI, and Anjaini J (2025) Innovative use of squid (Loligo spp.) ink powder as a potent immunostimulant for vannamei shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) in the treatment of infectious myonecrosis, Veterinary World, 18(6): 1777-1788.

Received: 16-01-2025 Accepted: 23-05-2025 Published online: 27-06-2025

Corresponding author: Mohamad Fadjar E-mail: f4dj4r@ub.ac.id

DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2025.1777-1788

Copyright: Fadjar, et al. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http:// creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated.