Antimicrobial Management in Aquaculture Systems

Aquaculture has become a cornerstone of global food security, producing nearly half of the fish and invertebrate protein consumed worldwide. However, the intensive nature of modern fish farming, with high stocking densities and diverse pathogen pressures, has driven widespread use of chemical and biological antimicrobials. Antimicrobial management encompasses not only the selection and application of antibiotics but also vaccination, probiotic and prebiotic supplementation, phage therapies and enhanced farm biosecurity. Effective stewardship seeks to balance disease control with the minimisation of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by integrating rigorous diagnostic protocols, environmental monitoring and targeted treatments. Aquatic systems function as both a sink and a source of resistance determinants, with horizontal gene transfer among bacterial populations posing a significant challenge. Global trends reveal regional disparities in antimicrobial consumption and resistance gene prevalence, often correlating with production intensity, regulatory frameworks and climatic factors. The shift towards sustainable practices emphasises alternatives to antibiotics, improved wastewater treatment and stakeholder collaboration across human, animal and ecosystem health sectors.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent studies have explored the interaction of environmental change, antimicrobial use and resistance in aquaculture, demonstrating that warmer temperatures can exacerbate disease outbreaks and select for resistant pathogens, and that resistance levels in farm bacteria correlate closely with those observed in human clinical settings. Comprehensive estimates of antimicrobial consumption have quantified current and projected global usage, revealing that the Asia–Pacific region accounts for the vast majority of antimicrobials employed and identifying species-specific intensity metrics that frequently exceed terrestrial livestock benchmarks. These insights have underscored the need for enhanced surveillance, standardised reporting and policy interventions to guide stewardship in a rapidly expanding industry.

Antimicrobial Management in Aquaculture Systems publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in antimicrobial management in aquaculture systems across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR): The ability of microorganisms to survive and proliferate in the presence of compounds designed to inhibit or kill them.

Multi-antibiotic Resistance index (MAR): A quantitative measure of resistance across multiple antibiotics, indicating exposure and selection pressure in bacterial populations.

One Health: An integrated approach recognising the interdependence of human, animal and environmental health in managing disease risks.

Biosecurity: Practices and protocols aimed at preventing the introduction and spread of infectious agents in production systems.

Horizontal gene transfer: The movement of genetic material between organisms, often facilitating the rapid dissemination of resistance genes.

References

1. Antimicrobial Resistance in Aquaculture: Risk Mitigation within the One Health Context. Foods (2024).
2. pH-Responsive Chitosan-Doped ZnO Hybrid Hydrogels for the Encapsulation of Bioactive Compounds in Aquaculture. Polymers (2023).
3. The Rising Tide of Antimicrobial Resistance in Aquaculture: Sources, Sinks and Solutions. Marine Drugs (2017).
4. Aquaculture at the crossroads of global warming and antimicrobial resistance. Nature Communications (2020).
5. Global trends in antimicrobial use in aquaculture. Scientific Reports (2020).