Fisheries and Aquaculture Journal
Open Access

Abstract

Polysaccharides in Aquatic Disease Management

Thangapandi Marudhupandi and Dhinakarasamy Inbakandan

Aquaculture is one of fast growing food producing sector in the world. Diseases and out breaks are painstaking as the major problem for this industry. Traditional approaches to control diseases in aquaculture comprise the use of antibiotics and chemical disinfectants, but they are no longer recommended due to the emergence of resistant strains of pathogens and accumulation of residues in the environment and non-target organisms. Although, vaccination is an effective means of disease prevention in fish, it could be expensive, time-consuming and stressful to the fishes. In this context, immunostimulant is a naturally occurring compound that modulates the immune system by increasing the host’s resistance against the diseases that in most circumstances are caused by pathogens, and are widely used in aquaculture. Nowadays using polysaccharides as immunostimulant for controlling aquatic diseases gained great attention due to its less toxic, eco-friendly nature and bioactivity. This review article discussed several marine polysaccharides and their role in controlling the diseases in both fin and shell fish species.