Phage Therapy for Control of Bacterial Fish Diseases

Antibiotics are widely used in the treatment of bacterial fish diseases. Bacteria have been resistant to the antibiotics used and antibiotics have became ineffective over time. In recent years, alternative treatment options have been sought to solve this problem. The use of bacteriophages, known as viruses that infect bacteria, as an alternative to antibiotics may be a promising strategy for the biologicalcontrol of bacterial pathogens in aquaculture. The antibacterial efficacy of bacteriophages, which have an ancient history and are known as the forgotten source of healing, will be investigated with this project. In this project, lithic phages were isolated from the aquaculture environment, enriched, purified and investigated for their effectiveness against Aeromonas hydrophila, which is important fish pathogens in vitro. The active bacteriophages were also characterized and genetically identified. When the project is successfully completed, the phages could be used as biological control in the treatment of bacterial fish diseases in aquaculture. Thus, environmental pollution and antibiotic resistance could be mitigiated and the financial lost could be prevented by reducing antibiotic usage.