Use of Probiotics as Biological Control Agents in Aquaculture for Sustainable Development

Aquaculture plays an important role in global food production. Due to changes in human dietary habits, fish consumption has been increasing, with more people changing to a healthier diet with an appropriate nutritional profile. Aquaculture is one of the fastest developing growth sectors in the world and Asia presently contributes about 90% to the global production. However, disease outbreaks are constraint to aquaculture production thereby affects both economic development of the country and socio-economic status of the local people in many countries of Asia-Pacific region Aquaculture has become an important source of fish available for human consumption. Antibiotics are very useful additions to any fish-health manager‟s toolbox, but they are only tools and not „magic bullets “Survival of the fittest” holds good for men and animals as also for bacteria. the use of such expensive chemotherapeutants for controlling diseases has been widely criticized for their negative impacts like accumulation of residues, development of drug resistance, immunosuppressants and reduced consumer preference for aqua products treated with antibiotics and traditional methods are ineffective against controlling new diseases in large aquaculture industry has been achieved by following different methods using traditional ways, synthetic chemicals and antibiotics. One of the alternative method is use of probiotics is one of such method that is gaining importance in controlling potential pathogens. This review provides a summary of the criteria for the selection of the potential probiotics, their importance and future perspectives in aquaculture industry. Resistance mechanisms can arise one of two ways: chromosomal mutation or acquisition of plasmids. Chromosomal mutations cannot be transferred to other bacteria but plasmids can transfer resistance rapidly. Several bacterial pathogens can develop plasmid-mediated resistance.