Ectoparasites are increasingly impacting the productivity of fish farms. The management of infestations and the control of secondary infections is crucial to limit production losses. The dietary inclusion of health-promoting functional additives has proven to be a key element for a successful preventive strategy against parasites.
This article reports on different studies evaluating the effects of APEX® BRANCHIA, a health promoting additive based on synergistic combinations of natural components with antiparasitic, antimicrobial and immunostimulant properties. The research results support field evidence in cage-farmed marine fish, showing that selected additive strategies are capable of reducing ectoparasite prevalence and to optimize the mucus defensiveness properties against secondary bacterial infections.