Alternatives to Antibiotics in Aquaculture Exist and Need Investment, Say Researchers
There are viable alternatives to antimicrobial use in aquaculture that need proper investment, according to recent research supported by the Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations (FAO) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). The paper also emphasizes the importance of approaching the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) from a “One Health” perspective.
Alternatives to antimicrobial use for mitigating the spread of disease among farmed fish include vaccination, phage therapy, gene-editing, pro- and prebiotics, and enhanced biosecurity measures. According to the authors, research shows the promise of vaccination as a proactive solution to preventing disease.