Chapter 17 - Biotechnological approaches to fish vaccine

Abstract

Aquaculture has emerged as a fast-growing food-producing sector in the world in recent years; however, infectious diseases of bacterial, viral, mycotic, and parasitic origin are the most significant restrictive agents in the improvement of intensive aquaculture. In view of the constant threat of various diseases to the aquaculture industry, the need for prophylactic measures has been felt worldwide for more than three decades. Immunoprophylaxis or vaccination strategies are regarded as the most efficient and economical remedial measure in protecting the health of fish and aquaculture animals from various infectious agents. However, traditional vaccines proved to be inefficient in many cases to address the fish disease problem. Biotechnological advancements have paved newer avenues for developing and designing novel and effective vaccines, as well as improving existing vaccines for rendering protection from various types of infectious diseases. Current advances in fish vaccinology offer valuable opportunities to discover new vaccine candidates to combat fish pathogens for which vaccines are still lacking. This chapter focuses on the usage of biotechnology in the areas of fish vaccinology—current knowledge, recent advances, and future perspectives of various new generation vaccines for the aquaculture industry.