Salmon farming encounters significant challenges related to the prevention and management of high-risk diseases in salmonids. Currently, a range of disinfectant and antimicrobial products are employed to address various bacterial diseases, resulting in notable improvements in the overall health of fish populations within aquaculture settings.
The widespread use of antimicrobials has led to the development of bacteria with reduced susceptibility, potentially impacting the fish microbiota and promoting the dissemination of pathogens in the ecosystem. Several of these bacterial pathogens exhibit various virulence factors linked to their infective and biofilm formation processes, including capsule formation, lipopolysaccharides, secretion systems, and toxins.
Considering that biofilms can act as a mechanism for antimicrobial resistance and disease persistence, leading to significant economic implications related to mortality and treatment costs, a team of researchers from the “Animal Health in Marine Environment” department at the center, including Dr. Jaime Figueroa, María Alejandra Valenzuela, Dr. Alejandro Yañez, and Dr. Alex Romero, has authored a new Policy Brief entitled “The Development of new strategies for the control and treatment of bacterial pathologies in salmon must consider the generation of biofilm”.
Read and download Policy Brief 16 from the INCAR Center here.
