Antimicrobial Resistance in Ornamental Fisheries: Causes and Preventive Measures

Abstract

Ornamental fisheries are a multibillion business and livelihood of many, especially in the developing countries. India also plays an important role in ornamental fisheries and stands at 26th position in the international ornamental fish trade. Though the sector is flourishing with advanced hatchery technologies, there have been also anomalies in profit making in the sector due to fish diseases and associated mortality. The incidence of diseases in ornamental fishes, especially bacterial infections, are common and it adversely affects the export. To overcome the economic loss, farmers frequently use antibiotics in aquaculture systems which have been identified as a major driver for antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is now considered a hot topic as there are no strict rules and regulations for the use of antibiotics in ornamental fisheries unlike that in edible fish culture. There have been increasing reports of resistance development and transfer of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacterial pathogens as well as environmental bacteria that is known to have a colossal impact on the aquatic ecosystem. This chapter summarizes the major drivers of AMR in ornamental fisheries and the challenges, diversity of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, modes of resistance acquisition, and lastly different management strategies and alternative approaches to reduce AMR.