Biological Approaches for Disease Control in Aquaculture: Advantages, Limitations and Challenges

Although aquaculture activity has experienced a great development over the past three decades, infectious diseases have become a limiting factor for further intensification. Because the use of antibiotics has led to the widespread emergence of antibiotic resistance, the search for alternative environmentally friendly approaches is urgently needed. This Opinion paper offers an update on the successes and challenges of biological approaches for bacterial disease prevention and control in aquaculture. Although most of these approaches are still in research and development stages, some of them have shown promising results in field trials. Therefore, a better understanding of the mechanisms of action of these approaches will help to maximise their beneficial properties.