A Review of Antibiotic use in Aquaculture, Alternatives and Strategies for the Reduction of Antibiotic Resistance

Abstract

The rapid growth of the aquaculture industry has led to an increased reliance on antimicrobial substances to compensate for inadequate biosecurity and husbandry practices. This misuse of antibiotics also has a detrimental effect on microbiomes and aquatic communities by displacing those with no resistance or introducing resistance genes to those biomes which previously had less resistance. Some countries have developed strategies including biosecurity and husbandry products, the use of diagnostics and vaccines, and maintaining strict water quality standards to drastically, if not entirely, reduce the use of antibiotics in their respective aquaculture industries. This literature review aims to give an overview of the use of antibiotics in the aquaculture industry, their effect on the environment, resistance mechanisms developed by microbial organisms, and strategies that can be implemented in aquaculture to lessen the threat of antibiotic resistance.