Applicability, Feasibility and Efficacy of Phytotherapy in Aquatic Animal Health Management

Abstract

The use of chemotherapeutants, antibiotics, and pesticides in aqua farms and non-adherence to scientific management practices have resulted in adverse impact on aquacultural production, serious outbreaks of diseases, development of drug resistance in microbes, and accumulation of antibiotics and pesticide residues in finfish and shellfish and environmental pollution. As a result, a need has been felt by the aquaculturists as well as aquatic animal health management professionals to find a suitable alternative therapy in place of antibiotics and chemotherapy. Phytotherapy has come to be recognized as a handy and viable alternative to chemotherapy, as it is economical, effective, non-resistance forming, renewable, eco-friendly and farmer-friendly. Although the use of medicinal plants is known to humanity since the dawn of human civilization for the treatment and control of human and animal diseases but its importance in combating finfish and shellfish diseases has been realized only recently. The phytotherapy of aquacultural diseases is in its infancy in most part of the world except in China to some extent. However, many important contributions in this field by different workers during the last quarter of the 20 th century and early 21 st century have shown encouraging results and opened new vistas in phytotherapy of aquatic animals. The present review crtically evaluates the present status of knowledge of phytotherapy in the world combating various aquacultural diseases, identifying the bottlenecks and suggests remedial measures.

Taraxacum Officinale Alcoholic Extract Augments the Cell-Mediated Immune Response in Anti-Anthrax Vaccinated Sheep

“…Essential oils of liquorice, coriander, turmeric, black pepper, red chili, cumin, onion, peppermint also have choleretic properties (Yurdakok-Dikmen, Turgut, and Filazi 2018). Phytotherapy also included various preparations used as bactericidal (Cerioli et al 2018), antiviral (Kalvatchev, Walder, and Garzaro 1997), immune-stimulating (Bauer 2002), anti-inflammatory, antiparasitic, neurotropic (Attele, Wu, and Yuan 1999), cardio-angiotropic, pneumotropic agents along time (Bullitta, Piluzza, and Viegi 2007;Eshetu et al 2015), due to increased bioavailability, easy access and lower cost of plant preparations (Raman 2017).…”

An update on the ornamental fish industry in Malaysia: Aeromonas hydrophila-associated disease and its treatment control

“…This problem on drug resistance leads to greater attention to seek for new antibacterial agents from natural sources to combat fish diseases in the aquaculture industry [43]. The past review by [44] critically evaluated the status of knowledge on phytotherapy against various aquacultural diseases in the world, identifying the bottlenecks and suggesting remedial measures. Phytotherapy becomes recognized as a handy and viable alternative to chemotherapy because it is economical, effective, non-resistance forming, renewable, eco-friendly, and farmer-friendly.…”

Oregano (Origanum vulgare) Extract Enhances Zebrafish (Danio rerio) Growth Performance, Serum and Mucus Innate Immune Responses and Resistance against Aeromonas hydrophila Challenge

“…In particular, the remarkable role of medicinal plants has been recently discovered in aquaculture; in fact, they can stimulate the immune system, conferring early activation of non-specific defense mechanisms of fish. Medicinal plants archive their positive effects due to their contents such as polysaccharides, tannins, pigments, steroids, terpenoids, flavonoids, phenolic compounds, organic acids, alkaloids, glycosides and essential volatile oils [ 3 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Certain medicinal plants (herbs) possessing well-known immunostimulant effects have been used experimentally as well as clinically to treat various fish diseases and to control infections, for example, the septicemia caused by the bacteria Aeromonas hydrophila .…”