β-glucan is considered as an effective immunostimulant because of its binding capacity to different receptors on leukocytes leading to the stimulation of immune responses including bactericidal activity, cytokine productivity, and survival fit ability at cellular levels. In response to immune cell surface receptors, β-glucan stimulates to release cytokines and chemokines. It has been found that these signaling proteins eventually stimulate the immunocompetent cells in fish such as monocytes, macrophages, and neutrophils for killing pathogens by phagocytosis, oxidative burst, and cytotoxic killing activities. They also procreate immunological memories and specific antibodies through activation of T and B lymphocytes. Researchers have proved that β-glucan can modulate some important biochemical (serum hemoglobin, serum protein, and total hemocyte count) and immunological (lysozyme activity, phagocytic activity, oxidative burst activity, and phenoloxidase activity) properties providing more competent immune profile for treating fish and aquatic organisms. β-glucan-supplemented fish showed limited sensitivity of genes involved in acute inflammatory reactions. Findings have shown that β-glucan exerts a positive impact on fish and aquatic organisms’ immunity, enhancing their disease resistance by increasing functional and decreasing deleterious responses. This review focuses on the basic bump of β-glucan on fish and shellfish immunity and recent information on the uses of β-glucan in progressive aquaculture.

The present study was undertaken measuring a total of 78 animals of Red Chittagong Cattle (RCC) of different ages and sexes maintained under a USDA funded RCC project at Bangladesh agricultural University (BAU) Dairy Farm, Mymensingh. The experiment was conducted to estimate different body measurements of RCC at different age groups. A total of 12 different age groups at 6 months interval were considered for estimation. The age groups were 1-6, 7-12, 13-18, 19-24, 25-30, 31-36, 37-42, 43-48, 49-54, 55-60, 61-66 and 66+ months. Different body measurements were wither height, hip height, body length, chest diameter, chest width, hip width, thurl width and rump length. As expected, it was found that all measurements significantly increased (P<0.01) with the advancement of age. All the estimates reached in maximum level at the highest age class (66+ months) in this study except chest width and rump length (61-66 and 43-48 months class, respectively). It also observed that all the estimates were gradually increased with age, but the rate of increment varied for different measurements for different age groups. The results also revealed to conclude no definite ages at which the estimates reached a maximum level due to lack of animals of more than 66 months of age to composite further age groups.

DOI: 10.3329/bvet.v27i1.5914The Bangladesh Veterinarian (2010) 27(1) : 43 - 45