A feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary yeast culture (YC) on health status in digestive tract of juvenile Pacific white shrimp . Shrimps (initial weight: 3.33 �� 0.06 g) were fed with graded levels of dietary YC (control, 0.3%, 0.5% and 1.0%). Results of the present study showed that villus height and the ratio between villus height and crypt depth in the digestive tract of juvenile shrimp was significantly increased by dietary 0.5% and 1.0%YC ( < 0.05). Besides, dietary 0.5% and 1.0%YC significantly activities of phenoloxidase (PO), lysozyme (LZ), acid phosphatase (ACP) and alkaline phosphatase (AKP) ( < 0.05), significantly up-regulated mRNA levels of prophenoloxidase (), lysozyme (), anti-lipopolysaccharide factor (), and ( < 0.05) and down-regulated mRNA levels of , nuclear factor ��B p65 () myeloid differentiation primary response protein () and toll like receptor () in the digestive tract of juvenile shrimp ( < 0.05). Compared with the control, dietary 0.5%YC increased Chao1 index in the digestive tract of juvenile shrimp. In addition, compared with the control, dietary 0.5% and 1.0%YC significantly increased relative abundance of ( < 0.05). It can be concluded that dietary YC made positive contribution to health status in digestive tract of juvenile shrimp through improving morphology and microbiota, enhancing immune function, and inhibiting inflammation of digestive tract.
