Bacteriophages
Bacteriophage ticks all the boxes for aquaculture. It has the ability to tackle and eliminate antibiotic resistance range. Being bacteria-specific, it leaves the rest of the microbiota unaffected and intact. It can be used in combinatory schemes for multiple infections at a time.
Bacteriophages, also known as phages, are viruses that specifically infect bacteria and have been used for decades as a form of biological control. Recently, there has been growing interest in using phages as a next-generation disinfectant, particularly in situations where traditional chemical disinfectants may not be effective or desirable.
Phages are highly specific in the bacteria they infect and can be engineered to target specific strains, making them a potentially “smart” disinfectant option. Additionally, because phages are living organisms, they can evolve and adapt to changes in the bacterial population, potentially making them more effective over time.
As a natural component of the environment, it is environmentally sustainable.
Together with their ability to tackle and eliminate antibiotic resistance range, being bacteria-specific, leaves the rest of the microbiota unaffected and intact. This antibiotic-free option results in a product equated with higher quality, which allows the producers to enter the high-end market.
Dr. Panos Kalatzis, a post-doctoral researcher on Aquaculture Bacteriophages and Microbiology at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, explained to Hatchery International. “Bacteriophages are naturally present in the environment; aquatic environment too. They exist as the natural bacterial predators, able to either kill the bacterial hosts or to integrate inside their genome and passively replicate in time until a stressor triggers their induction,”
“When we want to isolate bacteriophages in the lab, we take water samples, i.e. from hatcheries, we add the bacterial culture of the species of interest and then we add nutrients to boost its growth,” he said. “If there are phages against the bacterial target in the water, they will take advantage of the availability of the exponentially proliferating host and then they will hijack it for their own proliferation.”
Targeting multiple infections involves formulating a cocktail of different phages, that promotes prophylaxis over treatment creating a safer way to deal with pathogens and prevent outbreaks at once. Showing that this tool can be used as a smart disinfectant, that can selectively remove potential pathogens that are present in such environments.
At present, there are no suggested protocols in the administration of bacteriophage in hatcheries because there are no fully developed products, at least in the EU. However, Dr. Panos Kalatzis explianed, that the simplest way is to a direct application in the tanks either as liquid purified phage concentrates or a lyophilized powder (freeze-dried powder).
This article appeared earlier in the “Hatchery International”
References are available bellow.
https://www.hatcheryinternational.com
https://www.hatcheryinternational.com/scientist-touts-bacteriophage-as-smart-disinfectant/
Bacteriophages – mode of action
