Consumer demand for affordable fish drives the ever-growing global aquaculture industry. The intensification and expansion of culture conditions in the production of several finfish species has been coupled with an increase in bacterial fish disease and the need for treatment with antimicrobials. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance prevalent in aquaculture environments is important to design effective disease treatment strategies, to prioritize the use and registration of antimicrobials for aquaculture use, and to assess and minimize potential risks to public health. In this brief article we provide an overview of the molecular mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in genes found in finfish aquaculture environments and highlight specific research that should provide the basis of sound, science-based policies for the use of antimicrobials in aquaculture.

Subinhibitory levels of antibiotics can promote the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. However, it is unclear whether antibiotic concentrations released into aquatic systems exert adequate pressure to select populations with resistance traits. To examine this issue, 15 mesocosms containing pristine surface water were treated with oxytetracycline (OTC) for 56 days at five levels (0, 5, 20, 50, and 250 microg L(-1)), and six tetracycline-resistance genes (tet(B), tet(L), tet(M), ted(O), tet(Q), and tet(W)), the sum of those genes (tet(R)), "total" 16S-rRNA genes, and transposons (Tn916 and Tn 1545) were monitored using real-time PCR. Absolute water-column resistance-gene abundances did not change at any OTC exposure. However, an increase was observed in the ratio of tet(R) to 16S-rRNA genes in the 250 microg L(-1) OTC units, and an increase in the selection rate of Tc(r) genes (relative to 16S-rRNA genes) was seen when OTC levels were at 20 microg L(-1). Furthermore, tet(M) and Tn916/1545 gene abundances correlated among all treatments (r2 = 0.701, p = 0.05), and there were similar selection patterns of tetR and Tn916/1545 genes relative to the OTC level, suggesting a possible mechanism for retention of specific resistance genes within the systems.