Effect of Curcumin-Enriched Silkworms on the Survival Rate of Catfish Infected with Aeromonas hydrophila

Intensive catfish farming often faces challenges related to outbreaks of Motile Aeromonas Septicemia (MAS).Currently, farmers treat MAS with antibiotics.However, the use of antibiotics poses significant risks as it can lead to antibiotic residues in fish tissue.Therefore, alternative treatments using natural ingredients are needed.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of curcumin-enriched surta worms on the survival rate of catfish infected with Aeromonas hydrophila.The research methods included enriching silkworms with different turmeric powders, namely 0% (K), 0.25% (P1), 0.5% (P2), and 0.75% (P3), feeding silkworms with and without curcumin, diagnosing Aeromonas hydrophila infection, and observing survival rate.Parameters observed included curcumin absorption, silkworm biomass, liver and kidney histology, and survival rate.The results showed that surta worms were able to absorb curcumin through fermentation media, with the highest absorption observed at a 0.75% concentration, yielding a curcumin level of 23.8 mg/kg.Different curcumin content in the cultivation media did not affect silkworm biomass.The results also showed that catfish treated with feed without curcumin had damage to the histology of the liver and kidneys after being infected with Aeromonas hydrophila.Meanwhile, catfish fed with 0.75% turmeric powder were shown to inhibit Aeromonas hydrophila infection; this was evidenced by healthy liver and kidney histology.An independent t-test showed that feeding surta worms with and without curcumin did not affect the survival rate of juvenile catfish infected with Aeromonas hydrophila.