Bacteriophage Therapy in Freshwater and Saltwater Aquaculture Species

Abstract

Bacteriophages, or phages, which are viruses with specifically restricted tropism for bacteria, have regained interest in the last few decades as alternative therapeutic agents against antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria in animals and humans worldwide. In this context, bacteriophage therapy has been developed to treat bacterial infections of cultured fish, shellfish, and crustaceans. Nowadays, aquaculture is the only feasible solution to meet the continuously growing global demand for high-quality seafood. As such, it is crucial to focus on controlling the spread of pathogenic bacteria, as they have a significant economic impact on aquaculture systems. Overall, the documented research supports the application of bacteriophage therapy in aquaculture, but also underlies the need for additional studies, as it is still mostly in the scientific stage. This review aims to highlight and critically examine recent advancements in the application of bacteriophages to treat the most common bacterial infectious diseases in both freshwater and saltwater aquaculture species, providing topical perspectives and innovative advances.

Keywords: alternative antimicrobials; antibacterial; aquaculture; bacteria; bacteriophage; crustaceous; fish; multidrug-resistant; phage; shellfish; therapy.

Figure 1

Bacteriophage therapy in aquaculture. Phages are collected from natural and wastewater sources, isolated and characterized in the laboratory, and engineered before being tested in vitro. The selected modified phages are then tested in vivo on infected animals.