Acronym NA
Category
Aquaculture
Title Phage therapy as a low environmental impact alternative to inactivate pathogenic bacteria in fish farms Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National-European Coordinator Adelaide Almeida Coordinator email NA
Coordinator institution
CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (Portugal)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2011 End year 2011 Funding (€) € 150,000 Website https://www.cesam-la.pt/projetos/terapia-fagica-como-alternativa-de-baixo-impacto-ambiental-para-inactivar-bacterias-patogenicas-em-pisciculturas/ Summary "The main objective of this project is to develop a new procedure to decontaminate fish farm water. This choice is due to the growing importance of global aquaculture to compensate for the progressive decline in natural fish populations, and to the fact that several fish farms often suffer major economic losses due to infections caused by pathogenic microorganisms, including multidrug-resistant bacteria, which are easily transmitted through water and are therefore capable of infecting a wide variety of fish.
The level of contamination of aquaculture products by pathogenic bacteria depends on the environment and the bacteriological quality of the fish water. Therefore, fish produced in fish farms, like all animals, are constantly threatened by microorganisms. Although vaccination is the ideal method to prevent infectious diseases, the vaccines available on the market are still very limited in the area of fish farming. Chemotherapy is a quick and effective method to treat or prevent bacterial infections, but the frequent use of antibiotics has led to the development of resistance to these chemicals. This problem can be serious because few drugs are licensed for use in fish farming (Moruga et al, 2001; Council EEC Regulation No. 2377/90). However, to reduce the risk of the emergence and spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, other less environmentally damaging methods, such as phage therapy, should be developed.
There are several potential advantages of phage therapy over chemotherapy: target is specific, limited resistance development, low impact on the environment, facilitated regulatory approval, high phage resistance to environmental conditions, flexible, fast and inexpensive technology. The use of phage therapy requires, however, a detailed knowledge of fish pathogenic bacteria and the perception of new kinetic phenomena unknown in conventional treatments. Kinetic theory indicates that the optimal timing of treatment, the concentration of bacteria and phages applied, as well as their stability in relation to environmental factors may be fundamental and that the adjunctive use of antibiotics may affect the efficacy of phage therapy (Park et al, 2000).
The aim of this project is to gain knowledge about this treatment method by studying the interaction between pathogenic bacteria, phages and environmental factors in two fish farms subjected to different environmental conditions, in terms of contamination of human origin and the addition of chemicals. One, located near the city of Aveiro, suffering some contamination of human origin and, therefore, subject to chemotherapy treatment, and another located in a cleaner area, far from the city, where chemotherapy is not applied. In a first phase, the main pathogenic bacteria will be quantified and identified by ""FISH"" and traditional methods in order to select the most suitable phages for the treatment of specific bacterial diseases. The total number of viruses, their survival and influence on the bacterial community will also be determined to assess the potential of phage therapy in the control of pathogenic fish bacteria. In a second phase, phages of the main pathogenic bacteria will be isolated and used to study the kinetics of their interaction. Finally, theTwo economically important fish species in the fish industry (Sparus aurata and Dicentrarchus labrax) will be infected with the pathogenic bacteria previously isolated and treated with the specific phages. The effects of the interaction between bacteria and phages on the bacterial community of fish waters and on the fish themselves will be evaluated through the use of molecular fingerprinting techniques. The results will provide information on the feasibility of using phages to control pathogenic bacteria in fish farms subjected to different environmental pressures. The possibility of inactivating pathogenic bacteria from fish with phages without any risk to the fish, makes water disinfection more effective, avoiding contamination of the fish, compared to methods based on the addition of antibiotics/disinfectants to the water. In addition, the low cost of phage therapy, compared to the chemical compounds normally used, adds value to this new technology, and this technique can be attractive to companies and operators in the area.
The results of this study will evaluate whether phage therapy can be used as a preventive technology to inactivate pathogenic fish bacteria in fish farms subjected to different environmental pressures. The development of a new molecular strategy to assess the community of the Vibrionaceae family will also contribute to a better understanding of the ecology of the main pathogenic bacteria in fish."
Keywords
Fish;
Seabass;
Disease;
Seabream;
Fish health;
Water quality;
Marine Region
0
NA
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