article · Aquaculture International
Disease outbreaks caused by bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal pathogens create major financial losses and threaten sustainability in global aquaculture. While conventional antibiotics and chemicals have traditionally been used to control fish diseases, their indiscriminate application causes antimicrobial resistance, alters fish metabolism, damages aquatic environments, leaves chemical residues in seafood, and endangers human health. In response, diverse bio-based and immunoprophylactic therapies have emerged. These alternatives include phytotherapy, nanotherapeutics, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, phage therapy, vaccination, quorum quenching, antimicrobial peptides, biosurfactants, bacteriocins, stem cells, and diagnostic-based treatments. Recent biotechnological developments have improved the effectiveness of these interventions. Nevertheless, further investigation is required to address ongoing challenges concerning their cost, efficacy, potential hazards, availability, and ecological impacts to establish reliable guidelines for sustainable commercial fish farming.
Aquaculture provides a vital supply of global seafood, but disease outbreaks risk industry stability and food security. The common practice of using antibiotics fosters drug-resistant bacteria and spreads residues into food chains and aquatic ecosystems. Developing safe, bio-based alternatives protects fish health, reduces reliance on harmful chemicals, and supports environmentally sustainable and safer food production.
These alternative therapies offer commercial opportunities for aquaculture operators, veterinary pharmaceutical developers, and feed manufacturers seeking alternatives to conventional antibiotics. Potential commercial products include functional feed additives, phage treatments, and novel vaccines. However, widespread commercialisation remains constrained by practical challenges, including production costs, product availability, variable efficacy, and unresolved ecological risks, indicating that many of these solutions require further refinement and validation before standard industry adoption.
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Abstract The aquaculture industry is suffering from significant financial setbacks due to an increasing frequency of disease outbreaks, posing a threat to the sector’s sustainability. Various bacterial, viral, parasitic, and fungal pathogens have led to massive mortalities in farmed fish worldwide. Throughout the years, the management of fish diseases has predominantly centered around the utilization of conventional antibiotics and chemicals. Nevertheless, their indiscriminate use has given rise to serious implications, including an increase in resistant pathogens, disruptions in the metabolic processes of fish, degradation of the aquatic environment, the presence of drug residues in aquatic products, and a potential threat to human health. Various effective bio-based and immunoprophylaxis alternative therapies have been developed to overcome these impediments. Recent alternative therapeutic approaches to fish diseases encompass a range of strategies, including phytotherapeutics, nanotherapeutics, probiotics, prebiotics, synbiotics, phage therapy, vaccination, quorum quenching, antimicrobial peptides, biosurfactants, bacteriocins, stem cells, and diagnostic-based therapy. Advancements in biotechnology have significantly enhanced the efficacy of these therapies. However, additional research is essential to refine the utilization of these therapeutic approaches. Critical concerns, such as efficacy, cost, risks, availability, and adverse effects on fish and the ecosystem, need to be addressed to establish guidelines for their sustainable application in aquaculture. This review will increase aquaculturists’ awareness of recent therapies used in fish farming, their mechanisms, challenges, and impacts while promoting the sustainability of commercial aquaculture.
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DOI: 10.1007/s10499-024-01603-3
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