Phage Therapy as a Focused Management Strategy in Aquaculture

Abstract

Therapeutic bacteriophages, commonly called as phages, are a promising potential alternative to antibiotics in the management of bacterial infections of a wide range of organisms including cultured fish. Their natural immunogenicity often induces the modulation of a variated collection of immune responses within several types of immunocytes while promoting specific mechanisms of bacterial clearance. However, to achieve standardized treatments at the practical level and avoid possible side effects in cultivated fish, several improvements in the understanding of their biology and the associated genomes are required. Interestingly, a particular feature with therapeutic potential among all phages is the production of lytic enzymes. The use of such enzymes against human and livestock pathogens has already provided in vitro and in vivo promissory results. So far, the best-understood phages utilized to fight against either Gram-negative or Gram-positive bacterial species in fish culture are mainly restricted to the Myoviridae and Podoviridae, and the Siphoviridae, respectively. However, the current functional use of phages against bacterial pathogens of cultured fish is still in its infancy. Based on the available data, in this review, we summarize the current knowledge about phage, identify gaps, and provide insights into the possible bacterial control strategies they might represent for managing aquaculture-related bacterial diseases.

Bacteriophages in the Control of Aeromonas sp. in Aquaculture Systems: An Integrative View

“…High-titer phages usually stimulate the immune system of immunocompetent hosts [ 292 ]. However, antibody production depends on the route of phage administration, application timing and dosage, and the phage individual features [ 293 ]. The administration of A. salmonicida phage PAS-1 (MOI of 10000), in rainbow trout, showed significant neutralizing properties of its sera 10 days and 15 days after intramuscular administration which declined after 30 days [ 220 ].…”

Isolation and Characterization of a Novel Virulent Phage ASG01 of Aeromonas salmonicida and Its Cell Wall Hydrolase Activity

“…Bacteriophages (phages) are bacterial viruses that can specifically infect host bacterial cells, disrupt bacterial metabolism, and lyse host cells [ 10 ]. Phage therapy, which is based on the use of phages to reduce or eliminate pathogenic bacteria, has been proven to be a promising and flexible approach to combat bacterial infections in aquaculture [ 11 ]. Remarkably, several studies have shown that phage treatment can significantly reduce or even prevent the death of fish infected with A. salmonicides and have generally demonstrated the potential efficacy of phages against A. salmonicida infections [ 3 , 12 , 13 ].…”

A Novel and Effective Therapeutic Method for Treating Aeromonas schubertii Infection in Channa maculata

“…Since phages were first discovered by Twort (1915), phage treatment has been used successfully in humans, other mammals, food preservation, and aquaculture [ 8 , 9 , 10 ]. A number of controlled experiments have demonstrated the value of using phages in aquaculture [ 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. In this study, a lytic bacteriophage designated as SD04 was isolated from pond water cultured with diseased snakehead.…”