Fish antibiotherapy: bioencapsulation of flumequine using adult shrimp (Artemia salina).

Optimization of antibiotic delivery strategies to aquatic environment and to the specific characteristics of the target species is essential for the improvement of bacterial infection control measures. This work aimed at standardizing the use of Artemia salina to deliver flumequine to fish as antimicrobial treatment. Adult Artemia were used to bioencapsulate flumequine. A flumequine concentration of 358 mu g mL(-1) was found adequate to perform bioencapsulation during 24 h without causing mortality. Antibiotic concentration in Artemia, quantified by means of a microbiological assay based on MIC determination, using Escherichia coli ATCC 25922 as control strain was 256.55 mg g(-1) ( +/- 71.22). The therapeutic doses of 10 mg kg(-1) BW, calculated on the basis of a consumption of about 4% BW/day, would then be delivered by the consumption of 7.8 Artemia g(-1) of fish.