Effect of Homeopathic Medicines on Intestinal Coccidia and Immune Response Cells in Spotted Rose Snapper (Lutjanus guttatus)

Abstract

Background Homeopathy has been widely applied in freshwater species but rarely in marine fish. Farm stress destabilises host–pathogen equilibrium, favouring parasites and disease. Coccidian endoparasites cause intestinal infections and cell degeneration. Materials and Methods Naturally parasite-infested juvenile snapper Lutjanus guttatus (n = 430; weight 1.9 ± 0.01 g; length 4.9 ± 0.03 cm) specimens were distributed in group sizes of 43, in 10 fiberglass tanks (100 L) with aeration and continuous water change. Five groups in duplicate were assessed: Passival (PaV); Passival and Phosphoricum acid Similia (PaV–PhA); Passival and Silicea terra Similia (PaV–SiT); Endecto and Infecçoes (End–Inf) and a control (Ethanol) for 45 days. Feed was sprinkled with treatment (5% v/w) and dried to avoid ethanol side-effects. Statistical results were expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean. Results Intestinal coccidia were recorded histopathologically, with the least incidence attained at T45 with End–Inf treatment (p < 0.001), coinciding with the highest lymphocyte (p = 0.015) count. Fish treated with PaV–PhA recorded a higher percentage of neutrophils (p = 0.015), and those treated with PaV–PhA, PaV–SiT and End–Inf revealed a decrease in lesions, degree of alteration and change in intestine and stomach tissues (p < 0.05). The number of mucous cells in gills was greater (p < 0.001) for End–Inf (43 ± 0.58), PaV–SiT (40 ± 2.89) and PaV–PhA (39 ± 3.46) as compared respectively with T0 and control (19 ± 0.58 and 28 ± 2.31). PaV and PaV–SiT increased carbohydrate reserves in liver (28.4 ± 1.39% and 22.4 ± 0.12%, respectively) compared with T0 and control (3.4 ± 0.32 and 5.6 ± 0.66%). The highest survival rate was 97.7 ± 0.16% in fish treated with PaV and End–Inf. Conclusion Homeopathic treatments had a positive effect on fish health. Besides the accumulation of metabolic reserves in the liver, homeopathic treatment was associated with mucin increase in gills as well as raised production of lymphocytes and neutrophils in blood, which could act as macrophages against intestinal coccidia.

Ultra‐diluted bioactive compounds enhance energy storage and oocyte quality during gonad conditioning of Pacific calico scallop Argopecten ventricosus (Sowerby II, 1842)

“…Rosero‐García et al. (2019) reported that the formula PaV + SiT boosted a higher glycogen accumulation in the liver of the snapper fish L. guttatus , which matched the results mentioned above for this study. Moreover, Ibarra‐García (2018) reported better nutrition, digestion, assimilation, growth and survival in juvenile cephalopods ( Octopus bimaculoides ), treated with PhA and SiT at 12th centesimal dilution (12C).…”

“…(2019) and Rosero‐García et al. (2019) after they found an increase in energetic substrates accumulated in juveniles of the same species as A. ventricosus and the marine snapper L. guttatus , respectively, treated with SiT. Furthermore, an activity increase in digestive enzymes (trypsin and lipase) and maturation of the digestive tract have been recorded in juvenile mackerel S. riovoliana treated with SiT and PhA (Mazón‐Suástegui, Salas‐Leiva, et al., 2019); Phromkunthong (2015) observed that the use of Silica + , a micro‐particulate silica powder, increased peptidase activity, improving food digestion and thus increasing nutrient assimilation and growth of the shrimp L. vannamei .…”

“…Particularly, the use of Silicea terra ® (SiT), Phosphoric acid (PhA) and commercial homeopathic complexes, such as Passival ® (PaV) and Vidatox ® (ViT) in some marine species, including bivalves, has proven to activate not only enzymatic batteries related to food digestion, nutrient assimilation and increase in energy reserves (García‐Corona et al., 2020; López‐Carvallo et al., 2019; Mazón‐Suástegui, Salas‐Leiva, et al., 2019; Phromkunthong, 2015; Rosero‐García et al., 2019) but also in the immune‐antioxidant response and survival during pathogenic challenges (Mazón‐Suástegui et al., 2017, 2018b).…”

“…Recent evidence has suggested some commercial homeopathic drugs based on Silicea terra ® (SiT), Phosphoricum acid ® (PhA), Passival ® (PaV) and Vidatox ® (ViT) that improved the general condition index in snapper, shrimp and scallop (Mazón Suástegui et al., 2018a; Mazón‐Suástegui et al., 2018b; Mazón‐Suástegui et al., 2017; Mazón‐Suástegui, Salas‐Leiva, et al., 2019; Ortiz‐Cornejo et al., 2017). The application of Passival ® (PaV) has demonstrated to increase the cellular immune response of the marine snapper Lutjanus guttatus infested with parasites and in the accumulation of energy reserves (Rosero‐García et al., 2019). The application of Silicea terra ® (SiT) and Phosphoricum acid ® (PhA) increased the activity of digestive enzymes in the marine mackerel Seriola rivoliana (Mazón‐Suástegui, Salas‐Leiva, et al., 2019) and survival and antioxidant response in the white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei after challenge against Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Mazón‐Suástegui et al., 2018b).…”

Transcriptome analysis of Catarina scallop (Argopecten ventricosus) juveniles treated with highly-diluted immunomodulatory compounds reveals activation of non-self-recognition system

“…The effectiveness of the use of HDIC in bivalves to improve their survival against pathogen infection challenges has been widely demonstrated, our work team has proven that the application of HDIC formulated with scorpion venom, Phosphoric acid1, Silicea terra1, sodium metasilicate and Vibrio lysate (V. alginoliticus-V. parahemolityics) strengthened marine organisms (bivalves, fish and shrimp) self-defense, allowing them to survive infection challenges, reduce parasite proliferation, increase energy reserves and growth; even some of them outperformed antibiotics when they were used prophylactically in A. ventricosus culture [20,21,61,62].…”