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Disease Control in Fish and Shrimp Aquaculture

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A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Welfare, Health and Disease".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2024) | Viewed by 9058

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jiong Chen

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Guest Editor

School of Marine Sciences, Meishan Campus, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China
Interests: fish innate immunity; host-pathogen; microbiome; drug discovery; disease control in fish and shrimp aquaculture

Prof. Dr. Li Lin

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

College of Animal Sciences and Technology, Zhongkai University of Agriculture and Engineering, Guangzhou 510408, China
Interests: aquatic animal viruses; virus-host interactions; innate immunity; adaptive immunity; vaccine
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fish and shrimp represent an assortment of profitable animals in aquaculture and continuously contribute to meeting the ever-increasing demand for animal protein across the globe. However, this industry primarily relies on intensive farming practices and, consequently, has been suffering from huge economic losses due to the frequent outbreaks of diseases caused by a range of pathogenic microorganisms, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, parasites and algae. To date, many aspects regarding disease control and prevention in fish and shrimp aquaculture remain uncharted territory, and thus, comprehensive studies on epidemiology, pathology, etiology, diagnostics and control strategies will be critical to better understand the cause of disease outbreaks and facilitate the development of preventative and therapeutic agents to combat infectious diseases in fish and shrimp aquaculture.

In this scenario, we propose a topic, "Disease Control in Fish and Shrimp Aquaculture", for this Special Issue of the section "Sustainable Aquaculture". We welcome the submission of original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews and perspective articles on topics including, but not limited to, pathogen identification, diagnosis, pathogenic infection and epidemic mechanisms, rapid detection, response of pathogen susceptibility to environmental factors, antibiotics, immunostimulants, vaccines and aquatic medicine.

Prof. Dr. Jiong Chen
Prof. Dr. Li Lin
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

aquatic pathogens
antiviral medicines
antibiotics
aquacultural security
immunoregulation

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4029 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

How the luxR Gene Affects the Pathogenicity of Pseudomonas plecoglossicida and the Immune Response of Epinephelus coioides

by Lingmin Zhao, Lixing Huang, Yingxue Qin, Dou Yang, Jiaonan Zhang, Jiaolin Zhang and Qingpi Yan

Fishes 2023, 8(10), 507; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8100507 - 11 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1061

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effect of reduced expression of the luxR gene on the virulence of Pseudomonas plecoglossicida and the immune response of Epinephelus coioides. To achieve this, RNA interference (RNAi) was used to silence the luxR gene, and the pathogenicity of wild-type and luxR-RNAi strains of P. plecoglossicida, as well as the immune response of Epinephelus coioides to the infection of these two strains, were compared. The mutant strain with the highest silencing efficiency of 70.1% was selected for subsequent analysis. Silencing the luxR gene in the mutant strain resulted in a significant 30% reduction in mortality rates in artificially infected Epinephelus coioides compared to the wild-type strain. Transcriptome analysis revealed that the host transcriptome, particularly in the spleens of infected Epinephelus coioides, was markedly altered by the silencing of the luxR gene in the mutant strain. Tilapia infected with the luxR-RNAi strain exhibited altered immune defenses, with changes in gene expression primarily in the NOD-like receptor (NLR) signaling pathway. These results suggest that the luxR gene plays a crucial role in the host’s resistance to pathogen invasion, and reducing its expression could decrease quorum sensing (QS) signals while increasing the expression of the IL-1β gene in the host’s NLR pathway. This effect may lead to a pro-inflammatory response that enhances the immune response to infection. Further investigation of these mechanisms may lead to innovative approaches to treating bacterial infections. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disease Control in Fish and Shrimp Aquaculture)

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11 pages, 1954 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Novel Method for Sensitive Detection of Vibrio alginolyticus Based on Aptamer and Hybridization Chain Reaction in Aquaculture

by Yifan Zhao, Sheng Luo, Zhaohui Qiao, Qianjin Zhou, Jianzhong Fan, Jianfei Lu and Jiong Chen

Fishes 2023, 8(10), 477; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8100477 - 24 Sep 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1030

Abstract

In this study, we developed a novel method for the detection of Vibrio alginolyticus, utilizing the specific recognition of an aptamer for V. alginolyticus and signal amplification via hybridization chain reaction (HCR) and horseradish-peroxidase-conjugated streptavidin. The proposed HCR-based multivalent aptamer (multi-Apt) amplifier allows for sensitive detection of V. alginolyticus in a linear range from 10 to 10⁷ CFU/mL. The linear equation is y = 747.5x + 126.2, R² = 0.986, and the limit of detection (LOD) is 3 CFU/mL. Seawater and freshwater samples were utilized in the spike recovery experiment, yieldng a recovery rates ranging from 94.3% to 108.8%. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for all samples is below 6.73%. Taken together, the proposed method has great potential for application in monitoring of V. alginolyticus in aquaculture environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disease Control in Fish and Shrimp Aquaculture)

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12 pages, 2161 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Immunoregulation and Resistance to Aquatic Pathogens with Dietary Nucleotides in Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei

by Sergi Segarra, Thanh Chau, Phuc Hoang and Loc Tran

Fishes 2023, 8(6), 308; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8060308 - 08 Jun 2023

Viewed by 1466

Abstract

Using vegetable protein sources as a replacement for fish meal (FM) in the diet of Pacific white shrimp (PWS) has a negative impact on their health. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus, affects PWS and causes financial losses. Nucleotides modulate the immune response and could contribute to counteracting these issues. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of nucleotide supplementation on performance, immune response, and survival when challenged with V. parahaemolyticus, in PWS receiving a diet with FM partially replaced with vegetable protein sources. A feeding trial (1000 PWS; 56 days) and a challenge trial (600 PWS; 10 days) were performed using diets with different FM inclusion levels (26%, 23.4%, 22.1%, and 20.8%), with or without 0.1% nucleotides. A non-challenged, non-supplemented group was also used in the challenge trial. Adding nucleotides to diets with reduced FM allowed significantly better results in growth performance parameters and total hemocyte count (THC). In the challenge trial, compared to control, nucleotide supplementation led to significantly higher THC and survival rate 15 h post-challenge. In conclusion, adding nucleotides to PWS diets improves their immune response and resistance to aquatic pathogens, allowing FM to be replaced by vegetable protein sources without negatively affecting performance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disease Control in Fish and Shrimp Aquaculture)

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13 pages, 2862 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Isolation and Identification of Staphylococcus saprophyticus from Diseased Hybrid Sturgeon

by Yeying Wu, Yalan Feng, Mingyang Xue, Zidong Xiao, Lijuan Jin, Ren Gao, Yahong Chen, Tianwang Liang and Yong Zhou

Fishes 2023, 8(5), 250; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8050250 - 09 May 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1462

Abstract

Hybrid sturgeon is an important economic fish species in China. In 2021, a bacterium was isolated from the liver and kidneys of freshwater-farmed hybrid sturgeon in Yichang City, Hubei Province, causing a disease with high mortality and surface bleeding. Through morphological observation, 16S rDNA gene sequence analysis, pathogenicity, an antimicrobial sensitivity test, as well as serum physiological and biochemical analysis, it was identified as Staphylococcus saprophyticus and named E702. The 16S rDNA gene sequence of E702 is highly homologous to S. saprophyticus in GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis showed that E702 and S. saprophyticus clustered into one clade. The 50% lethal dose of E702 was 2.14 × 10⁵ CFU/g. The percentages of monocytes and eosinophils were markedly increased in the diseased sturgeon’s blood, whereas the percentages of platelets and lymphocytes were decreased. The activity levels of aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and alkaline phosphatase in the diseased fish were significantly increased. The diseased fish suffered obvious damage to many tissues and organs, especially the liver and kidney, showing swelling, hyperemic and inflammatory cell infiltration. E702 was sensitive to antibiotics such as neomycin, cefazolin, norfloxacin, carbenicillin, gentamicin and ciprofloxacin. The study not only proved that S. saprophyticus was responsible for a great deal of hybrid sturgeon deaths, but also shed light on its potential risks in hybrid sturgeon farming. The research results provided the theoretical basis for the diagnosis as well as prevention of this disease. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disease Control in Fish and Shrimp Aquaculture)

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15 pages, 1536 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Potential Symbiotic Effects of β-1,3 Glucan, and Fructooligosaccharides on the Growth Performance, Immune Response, Redox Status, and Resistance of Pacific White Shrimp, Litopenaeus vannamei to Fusarium solani Infection

by El-Sayed Hemdan Eissa, Ragaa A. Ahmed, Nadia A. Abd Elghany, Amal Elfeky, Saadea Saadony, Norhan H. Ahmed, Salah El-Sayed Sakr, Geraldine B. Dayrit, Charlene Princess S. Tolenada, Adlene Anne C. Atienza, Mahmoud Mabrok and Hala F. Ayoub

Fishes 2023, 8(2), 105; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes8020105 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3143

Abstract

The potential effects of dietary supplementation with β-1,3 glucan and fructooligosaccharides (β-1,3 GF) on antioxidant activities, immunological response, and growth performance of Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) was investigated. Four diets (iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous) with different levels of β-1,3 GF (0, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 g kg⁻¹) were fed to healthy shrimp juveniles weighing 3 ± 0.5 g for 75 days. Shrimps were randomly distributed into 12 net enclosures at a density of 30 shrimp/net, and the experiment was performed in triplicate. The results revealed that long-term supplementation with 1.5 g kg⁻¹ β-1,3 GF significantly improved shrimp weight gain, feed conversion ratio, and digestive enzyme profiles compared to the control diet group. However, there were no substantial variations in the contents of moisture, crude protein, total lipids, and ash in the muscles of shrimp fed on different diets. Surprisingly, all antioxidants (superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase) and immune biomarkers (lysozyme, total hemocyte count, phenol oxidase, and respiratory burst) activities were significantly elevated with increasing levels of β-1,3 GF in the shrimp diet, and the highest values were recorded in the 1.5 g kg⁻¹ diet groups. Challenge test results revealed that F. solani could cause a high mortality rate (86.7%) in a group fed a normal basal diet within 14 days at a dose of 5 × 10⁴ conidia mL⁻¹. Surprisingly, all dietary treated groups with different doses of β-1,3 GF showed high resistance against F. solani, represented by lower cumulative mortality rates (20–43.3%) compared to the control group. Moreover, most of the infected shrimp showed a typical black to brown gill lesion similar to that observed in the natural infection, where an identical fungus was successfully re-isolated from infected gills and muscles. Overall, this study recommends an appropriate incorporation level of β-1,3 GF that could enhance growth performance and improve the antioxidant activities, non-specific immunity, and disease resistance of L. vannamei, with an optimal level of 1.5 g kg⁻¹. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disease Control in Fish and Shrimp Aquaculture)

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