Use of a potential probiotic Lactococcus lactis AR21 strain for the enhancement of growth in the rotifer Brachionus plicatilis (Müller)

The effect of a potential probiotic on the growth performance of a rotifer and its inhibition against Vibrio anguillarum was studied. Probiotic strain AR21 had no significant observable effect on the growth rate of rotifers under optimal culture conditions in three consecutive experiments. In the first and second experiments, the AR21 strain exhibited an inhibitory effect against the V. anguillarum strain when rotifer cultures were maintained at a suboptimal feeding regime. The growth rate of the rotifers in suboptimal feeding conditions was significantly higher in the treatment receiving AR21 and V. anguillarum than in the treatment where only V. anguillarum was added.