Evaluation of procedures for incorporating levamisole into fish feed

Abstract

The intensive systems used in aquaculture can increase animal stress, suppress the immune response and lead to the risk of disease propagation among fish, which can result in high mortality rates. Currently, the number of regulated drugs for use in the aquaculture sector is limited, and studies are needed to include new therapeutic and/or prophylactic drug alternatives. In this context, levamisole, an anthelmintic drug used to treat infections caused by nematodes in humans and animals, has been studied as an alternative for use in this sector. Previous studies report that, in addition to its effectiveness in controlling pathogenic infections, levamisole has an immunostimulating effect and can be used to reduce the harmful effects of stress on fish. In this context, this project aims to carry out studies to evaluate alternative procedures for incorporating the drug into the feed that may be useful in considering the use of levamisole in fish farming. Therefore, different procedures for incorporation of the drug in the feed will be evaluated, aiming to obtain a process that conceives feed pellets with homogeneous concentrations of the drug and with a low risk of leaching levamisole into the water during the medication of the animals. Therefore, an analytical method will be developed, optimized, and validated using LC-MS/MS analysis to monitor the drug concentration in the feed pellets. The work will be developed in consortium with the interests of the studies foreseen in a doctoral thesis that is in progress in our group, which foresees the evaluation of the residual depletion of levamisole in fish of the tambaqui species (Colossoma sp).(AU)