Benefits and Applications of Probiotics in Aquaculture

Dear Colleagues,

Aquaculture has been greatly developed to support humans with nutritious protein sources. However, several challenges affect fish and shrimp farming activities, such as the emergence of infectious diseases, which might induce high economic losses. On the other hand, the FDA has banned the use of antibiotics to control diseases in aquaculture because of their undesirable impacts on human consumers, the development of antibiotic-resistant strains, and environmental concerns. Hence, finding suitable, economical, environmentally safe, and effective antibiotic alternatives will be the best choice for limiting the usage of antibiotics in aquaculture and also in improving the health status and performance of farmed fish as well as shrimp. Probiotics have gained significant interest from several researchers because of their unique beneficial applications in the field of aquaculture. A wide range of probiotic species have been examined for use in aquaculture. For this reason, with this research topic, we aim to highlight the functions of probiotics in the overall performances of fish and shrimp species. This topic is of vital significance, not only for improving the health conditions of fish and shrimp but also for supporting sustainable aquaculture. To obtain a wide-ranging overview of this topic, advanced research, including original research, short communications, mini-reviews, and review articles on the following fields would be predominantly appreciated. Potential subjects comprise, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Illuminating the in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial efficacy of probiotic species against fish-associated pathogens.
2. Clarifying the roles of probiotics in growth improvement, immune modulation, and the enhancement of antioxidant status.
3. Elucidating the effects of probiotics on the microbiome, histomorphometry, and gut health.
4. Identifying the roles of probiotics in enhancing the disease resistance of fish and shrimp against challenging pathogens.

Dr. Hany M.R. Abdel-Latif
Dr. Sevdan Yilmaz
Guest Editors

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• probiotics
• antimicrobial effects
• immunity
• growth
• gene expression
• oxidative stress
• disease resistance
• intestinal health
• microbiome