Deciphering the Effect of Functional Diet Containing Single and Multiple Strain Probiotic, on the Growth, Gut Histology and Microbiome Signatures in the Pacific White Leg Shrimp (Penaeus vannamei).

The present study evaluated the effects of dietary supplementation with single- and multi-strain autochthonous lactic acid probiotics on the growth performance, gut histomorphology, and gut microbiome of juvenile Penaeus vannamei. Shrimp were fed probiotic-supplemented or control diets for 60 days. Dietary supplementation with Pediococcus pentosaceus (10⁹ CFU g⁻¹) and Lactiplantibacillus plantarum (10⁹ CFU g⁻¹) significantly (P < 0.05) improved growth performance compared with the control. Additionally, MSP11, MSP9, and PP11 significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced localized gut histology, including villi length, crypt depth, and muscularis mucosae thickness, respectively. Gut microbiome analysis showed treatment-specific shifts in bacterial community composition, with significantly (P < 0.05) increased microbial diversity (alpha diversity) in shrimp receiving the high-dose multi-strain probiotic. Probiotic supplementation also enriched beneficial bacterial taxa, including members of the families Oxalobacteraceae, Flavobacteriaceae, and Bacillaceae, while promoting the establishment of potentially beneficial genera such as Ralstonia and Paracoccus. Overall, dietary supplementation with autochthonous lactic acid probiotics, administered individually or as a multi-strain consortium, improved growth, enhanced gut morphology, and favorably modulated the gut microbiome of P. vannamei, highlighting their potential as sustainable functional feed additives in shrimp aquaculture.