Effects of dietary <italic>Jatropha gossypiifolia</italic> leaves extract on growth performance, antioxidant capacity, immune response, and disease resistance of African sharptooth catfish (<italic>Clarias gariepinus</italic>) infected with <italic>Aeromonas hydrophila</italic>.

This study investigated the effects of <italic>Jatropha gossypiifolia</italic> leaf extract (JGE) on the performance and immune response of African sharptooth catfish. Fish (6.43 ± 0.26 g, <italic>n</italic> = 450, 30/replicate) were fed diets supplemented with 0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, or 2.0 g JGE/kg in triplicate for 84 days. Thereafter, the fish were injected with <italic>Aeromonas hydrophila</italic> and observed for 14 days. Fish fed 1.0–1.5 g JGE had higher (P < 0.05) weight gain, protein efficiency ratio, and villi absorption area, with highest performance at 1.0 g JGE. All the fish fed JGE-supplemented diets had enhanced (P < 0.05) activities of glutathione-s-transferase and glutathione peroxidase, compared to fish fed control diet, while the variations in erythrocyte and leucocyte counts were insignificant (P > 0.05). The post-challenge fish fed JGE-supplemented diets had higher lysozyme, phagocytic, and respiratory burst activities and survival than the control treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]