Efficacy of Terminalia catappa Leaf as an Alternative to Synthetic Antibiotics in the Diet of Oreochromis niloticus Challenged with Salmonella typhi

Terminalia catappa leaf meal was incorporated into 30% crude protein basal diets of Oreochromis niloticus at different inclusion levels of 0 (control), 25, 50, 75 and 100% to supplement yellow maize and diets were designated as TCD1, TCD2, TCD3, TCD4 and TCD5 respectively. Fish (10.38 ± 0.35) g were fed at 4% body weight for 70 days and later immersed in water with 2 ml / l of pathogenic strain of Salmonella typhi for 10 days. At the expiration of the feeding trials, growth performance indices of O. niloticus were significantly different (P< 0.05), with fish fed T. catappa having higher weight gain, specific growth rate and better feed conversion ratio. Crude protein of whole fish body was higher in fish fed T. catappa leaf supplemented diets. Challenge test with pathogenic strain of S. typhi, indicated that survival of O. niloticus can be improved by 50% when T. catappa is incorporated into fish diets. Therefore, incorporating T. catappa into the diets of O. niloticus between 25 – 100% from this study is sufficient to boost growth and improve survival against S. typhi.