Phages as a Cohesive Prophylactic and Therapeutic Approach in Aquaculture Systems

Abstract

Facing antibiotic resistance has provoked a continuously growing focus on phage therapy. Although the greatest emphasis has always been placed on phage treatment in humans, behind phage application lies a complex approach that can be usefully adopted by the food industry, from hatcheries and croplands to ready-to-eat products. Such diverse businesses require an efficient method for combating highly pathogenic bacteria since antibiotic resistance concerns every aspect of human life. Despite the vast abundance of phages on Earth, the aquatic environment has been considered their most natural habitat. Water favors multidirectional Brownian motion and increases the possibility of contact between phage particles and their bacterial hosts. As the global production of aquatic organisms has rapidly grown over the past decades, phage treatment of bacterial infections seems to be an obvious and promising solution in this market sector. Pathogenic bacteria, such as Aeromonas and Vibrio, have already proved to be responsible for mass mortalities in aquatic systems, resulting in economic losses. The main objective of this work is to summarize, from a scientific and industry perspective, the recent data regarding phage application in the form of targeted probiotics and therapeutic agents in aquaculture niches.

Phage Prevalence in the Human Urinary Tract—Current Knowledge and Therapeutic Implications

“…The aqueous environment of the urinary tract makes it a convenient niche for therapeutic applications. Water favors multidirectional motion of phage particles and increases the possibility of contact between them and their bacterial hosts [ 56 ], whereas a low-moisture environment significantly reduces phage mobility and, indirectly, their lytic action. Phages deprived of mobility are unable to attach to specific receptors on bacterial surface, which results in an inability to disrupt the bacterial cell wall and initiate the infection [ 57 ].…”

Bacteriophage Treatment before Chemical Disinfection Can Enhance Removal of Plastic-Surface-Associated Pseudomonas aeruginosa

“…Less attention has been paid to the opportunity to use phages as biocontrol agents in the environment ( 27 ). Yet, increasingly, phages are being used in other industries such as for medical devices ( 28 ), agriculture ( 29 ), aquaculture ( 29 – 31 ), and the food industry ( 29 , 32 ) as prophylactic treatments to prevent disease. However, challenges remain in the widespread implementation of phage treatments, including the development of phage resistance, regulation of phage-based products, and unknown environmental consequences of phage treatment ( 33 ).…”

Biological and Genomic Characterization of a Novel Jumbo Bacteriophage, vB_VhaM_pir03 with Broad Host Lytic Activity against Vibrio harveyi

“…For the infected Artemia nauplii that received a delayed treatment, vB_VhaM_pir03 was unable to provide protection which suggested that the damage caused by vibriosis was irreversible similarly to the reported results of Diaz et al [ 84 ]. Phages are conventionally used in therapeutic purposes [ 27 ], however, for pathogens which cause irreversible damage, consideration may be given to use of phages as prophylaxis such as suggested by Silva et al and Zaczek et al [ 85 , 86 ].…”