Health and nutritional properties of probiotics in fish and shellfish

Abstract

The use of chemotherapeutic agents as an infection control measure has become questionable because of the evolution of antimicrobial resistance among pathogenic bacteria. One of the alternatives to antibiotics in disease control could be the use of probiotics as biological control agents. This review describes the state of the art of probiotic research in preventing and controlling infectious diseases in aquaculture, with a description of the mechanisms of action involved. © 2006 Taylor & Francis.