Objective.

Evaluating the effect of homeopathic medicines on survival and activity of the superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme in white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei subjected to infection with the pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus.

Materials and methods.

The average lethal dosage (LD50) was determined for the pathogen strain in L. vannamei juveniles under immersion (Imm), injection (Inj) and incision + immersion (Inc+Imm) methods. Four treatments were applied: (1) Mix CIB®-HOM Heel-Mix (TH1), constituted by equal v/v ratio, of Cyme-Heel®, Gal-Heel®, Hepa-Heel®, Mucs-Heel® and Chol-Heel®; (2) Mix CIB®-HOM Pav-Mix (TH2), constituted by the same v/v ratio of Passiflora incarnata, Valeriana officinalis, Zincum valerianicum and Ignatia amara (Similia®); (3) Heel-Mix/Pav-Mix (TH3) consisting of a 1:1 v/v combination of the TH1 and TH2 treatments, and (4) ViT-Mix (TH4), constituted by Vidatox®, and a control (not treated/infected).

Results.

While applying the methods Imm, Inj and Inc+Imm, LD50 was 0.9 x 106; 0.6 x 106 and 0.5 x 106 UFC.mL-1, respectively. At the end of the challenge, the groups treated with TH2, TH3 and TH4 had a greater survival rate to that of the control group (p<0.05). Moreover, these two last treatments showed a greater SOD activity with respect to the control group (p<0.05).

Conclusions.

The homeopathic treatments (TH3 and TH4) increased survival and SOD activity in L. vannamei juveniles challenged with V. parahaemolyticus, which suggests that the homeopathic treatments employed had the potential as an alternative for the control of V. parahaemolyticus and its associated diseases, including the early mortality syndrome in shrimp farming.

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