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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Stuttgart, Arkansas » Harry K. Dupree Stuttgart National Aquaculture Research Cntr » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #311380
Title: Effects of dietary copper supplements on the resistance of channel catfish to columnaris disease

Author
item Farmer, Bradley
item Beck, Benjamin
item MITCHELL, ANDREW - Retired ARS Employee
item Rawles, Steven - Steve
item Straus, David - Dave

Submitted to: Aquaculture America Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/21/2015
Publication Date: 2/19/2015
Citation: Farmer, B.D., Beck, B.H., Mitchell, A.J., Rawles, S.D., Straus, D.L. 2015. Effects of dietary copper supplements on the resistance of channel catfish to columnaris disease [abstract]. Aquaculture America Conference. p. 455.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Copper is an essential dietary component in animal feeds. Copper sulfate has also been shown to be therapeutic and prophylactic as a water treatment for several indications including columnaris disease. Columnaris disease is one of the most important bacterial diseases of channel catfish commercially grown in the US. A study was conducted to evaluate if fish feed supplemented with copper sulfate at 0, 40, and 80 mg/kg of diet (at a daily rate of 3% body weight) would affect resistance to columnaris disease. The results indicate that fish fed the Cu-supplemented diet for two weeks had a significant increase in resistance to columnaris disease. This increase in resistance was also dose dependent. The mean percent survival for fish fed the base diet for two weeks and then challenged was 2.0%. Fish fed the 40mg/kg copper sulfate-supplemented diet had a mean survival of 22.0%, and fish fed the 80mg/kg copper sulfate-supplemented diet had a mean survival of 29.3%. No statistical differences were found in growth rate or food conversion ratio among the diets.