In Vivo Bacteriophages’ Application for the Prevention and Therapy of Aquaculture Animals–Chosen Aspects

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The world’s population is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050. To meet the nutritional needs of this growing population, animal production must double by 2050. The production of fish and other aquatic animals is growing rapidly, but with an intensification of farming, the risk of infectious diseases is increasing, including bacterial diseases. In recent years, antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents that can be used in aquaculture have been evidenced as no longer effective, resulting in a lack of effective treatment options and leading to higher animal mortality and economic losses for the farm. For this reason, new prevention and treatment options are being sought. One such method is the use of bacteriophages. These are viruses that attack bacteria, consequently destroying them. This is not a new idea, as the first scientific reports on the use of bacteriophages on animals in aquaculture were published 40 years ago but were abandoned after the invention of antibiotics. Now, they are rapidly gaining renewed interest. This paper summarizes the results of using bacteriophages in various aquaculture animals for the prevention and control of bacterial pathogens. ABSTRACT: To meet the nutritional requirements of our growing population, animal production must double by 2050, and due to the exhaustion of environmental capacity, any growth will have to come from aquaculture. Aquaculture is currently undergoing a dynamic development, but the intensification of production increases the risk of bacterial diseases. In recent years, there has been a drastic development in the resistance of pathogenic bacteria to antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents approved for use, which has also taken place in aquaculture. Consequently, animal mortality and economic losses in livestock have increased. The use of drugs in closed systems is an additional challenge as it can damage biological filters. For this reason, there has been a growing interest in natural methods of combating pathogens. One of the methods is the use of bacteriophages both for prophylactic purposes and therapy. This work summarizes the diverse results of the in vivo application of bacteriophages for the prevention and control of bacterial pathogens in aquatic animals to provide a reference for further research on bacteriophages in aquaculture and to compare major achievements in the field.