An evaluation of fish health-management practices and occupational health hazards associated with Pangasius catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) aquaculture in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
Abstract:This study aimed to evaluate the current status on the use of probiotics, disinfectants and antimicrobials in hatcheries, nurseries and grow-out farms producing Pangasius catfish (Pangasianodon hypophthalmus) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 83 aquaculture enterprises (15 hatcheries, 32 nurseries and 36 grow-out farms). Farmers reported use of a total of 24 different antimicrobials, e.g. for treatment of bacillary necrosis and motile aeromonad septicaemia, and a vari… Show more
“…Incidents in India have also increased in recent years (primarily due to continued use of banned furazolidone and nitrofurazone), reflecting a surge in whiteleg shrimp farming and exports (FAO 2016a ). Vietnam had the highest number of incidents in the last decade, with traces of 18 different AMs reported in shrimp and pangasius products, supporting the extensive list of AM compounds reported to be used in that country by Rico et al ( 2013 ), Phu et al ( 2016 ), and Thi Kim Chi et al ( 2017 ). Fig.…”
Section: Main Drivers Behind Am Use In Aquaculturementioning
Global seafood provides almost 20% of all animal protein in diets, and aquaculture is, despite weakening trends, the fastest growing food sector worldwide. Recent increases in production have largely been achieved through intensification of existing farming systems, resulting in higher risks of disease outbreaks. This has led to increased use of antimicrobials (AMs) and consequent antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in many farming sectors, which may compromise the treatment of bacterial infections in the aquaculture species itself and increase the risks of AMR in humans through zoonotic diseases or through the transfer of AMR genes to human bacteria. Multiple stakeholders have, as a result, criticized the aquaculture industry, resulting in consequent regulations in some countries. AM use in aquaculture differs from that in livestock farming due to aquaculture’s greater diversity of species and farming systems, alternative means of AM application, and less consolidated farming practices in many regions. This, together with less research on AM use in aquaculture in general, suggests that large data gaps persist with regards to its overall use, breakdowns by species and system, and how AMs become distributed in, and impact on, the overall social-ecological systems in which they are embedded. This paper identifies the main factors (and challenges) behind application rates, which enables discussion of mitigation pathways. From a set of identified key mechanisms for AM usage, six proximate factors are identified: vulnerability to bacterial disease, AM access, disease diagnostic capacity, AMR, target markets and food safety regulations, and certification. Building upon these can enable local governments to reduce AM use through farmer training, spatial planning, assistance with disease identification, and stricter regulations. National governments and international organizations could, in turn, assist with disease-free juveniles and vaccines, enforce rigid monitoring of the quantity and quality of AMs used by farmers and the AM residues in the farmed species and in the environment, and promote measures to reduce potential human health risks associated with AMR.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11625-017-0511-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
“…Incidents in India have also increased in recent years (primarily due to continued use of banned furazolidone and nitrofurazone), reflecting a surge in whiteleg shrimp farming and exports (FAO 2016a ). Vietnam had the highest number of incidents in the last decade, with traces of 18 different AMs reported in shrimp and pangasius products, supporting the extensive list of AM compounds reported to be used in that country by Rico et al ( 2013 ), Phu et al ( 2016 ), and Thi Kim Chi et al ( 2017 ). Fig.…”
Section: Main Drivers Behind Am Use In Aquaculturementioning
Global seafood provides almost 20% of all animal protein in diets, and aquaculture is, despite weakening trends, the fastest growing food sector worldwide. Recent increases in production have largely been achieved through intensification of existing farming systems, resulting in higher risks of disease outbreaks. This has led to increased use of antimicrobials (AMs) and consequent antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in many farming sectors, which may compromise the treatment of bacterial infections in the aquaculture species itself and increase the risks of AMR in humans through zoonotic diseases or through the transfer of AMR genes to human bacteria. Multiple stakeholders have, as a result, criticized the aquaculture industry, resulting in consequent regulations in some countries. AM use in aquaculture differs from that in livestock farming due to aquaculture’s greater diversity of species and farming systems, alternative means of AM application, and less consolidated farming practices in many regions. This, together with less research on AM use in aquaculture in general, suggests that large data gaps persist with regards to its overall use, breakdowns by species and system, and how AMs become distributed in, and impact on, the overall social-ecological systems in which they are embedded. This paper identifies the main factors (and challenges) behind application rates, which enables discussion of mitigation pathways. From a set of identified key mechanisms for AM usage, six proximate factors are identified: vulnerability to bacterial disease, AM access, disease diagnostic capacity, AMR, target markets and food safety regulations, and certification. Building upon these can enable local governments to reduce AM use through farmer training, spatial planning, assistance with disease identification, and stricter regulations. National governments and international organizations could, in turn, assist with disease-free juveniles and vaccines, enforce rigid monitoring of the quantity and quality of AMs used by farmers and the AM residues in the farmed species and in the environment, and promote measures to reduce potential human health risks associated with AMR.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11625-017-0511-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
“…Most antimicrobial products are mixed with pelleted feed on farm by farmers and applied with a portable sprayer, stick or bare hands (Li et al, ; Phu, Phuong, Dung et al, ). It seems that the added antimicrobial products may not be evenly distributed and adequately bound into the pelleted feed, while the inferior quality of antimicrobial products may contribute to sub‐therapeutic antimicrobial concentrations and subsequent risk of treatment failure and development of resistance (Andersson & Hughes, ; Gullberg et al, ).…”
Section: Discussionmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…It is clear that a high‐quality antimicrobial product is essential. An inferior quality product with a lower concentration of active compound than declared prevents obtaining a therapeutic dosage in the diseased animal and subsequent treatment failure, excess fish mortality and economic loses and increased risk for antimicrobial resistance development (Labella et al, ; Cabello, ; Phu, Phuong, Dung et al, ;Li et al, ). In Vietnamese aquaculture, as a pathogen of striped catfish, Edwardsiella ictaluri isolated from striped catfish ( Pangasianodon hypophthalamus) in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam, was already found to be resistant to nearly all antimicrobials approved for use (Tu et al, ).…”
Despite the importance of aquaculture increases for feeding the growing world population, professional farm management and proper use of aquaculture products or drugs are needed. It is important to know the quality of commercial antimicrobial products on the market while there is wide use of antimicrobials to treat fish diseases. The most commonly used antimicrobial products were identified from a previous survey, included amoxicillin, enrofloxacin, florfenicol, sulphadiazine, sulphamonomethoxine and sulphadimidine. Eight local chemical supply shops were randomly sampled in representative aquaculture areas in Maoming and Zhanjiang districts of south China in 2013. In this study, only eight products contained active substances within ±10% of the concentration declared on the product label among the 30 different most used commercial products; while six products did not contain any of the declared antimicrobials. Three products without labels were sold as ‘pure antimicrobial’ and had high concentrations of active antimicrobials. Furthermore, most products only provided ambiguous information on the packages on both antimicrobial usage and dosage; and only one product stated how to prepare medicated feed which is important for efficient usage. The results of this study showed that the aquaculture antimicrobial products sold on the market were of low quality and thus compromised effective fish disease treatment. Moreover, insufficient information on products’ labels would provide limited instruction on correct antimicrobial usage. Inspection and supervision by both private companies and the government's sector require strengthening.
“…Biosecurity is any management action to prevent the introduction of disease-causing agents to aquaculture facility [ 66 ]. Farm-level biosecurity measures involve the application of a combination of activities more or less which includes strict quarantine measures, sanitation of equipment, disinfection of egg, traffic control, water treatments, use clean feed, disposal of dead appropriately.…”
Section: Biosecurity Measures In Aquaculturementioning
Aquaculture is rapidly growing part of agriculture worldwide. It makes up around 44 percent of total fish production globally. This increased growth of production is achieved despite facing many challenges in the aquaculture environment. Among production limiting challenges, the infectious disease takes the lion share by causing multibillion-dollar loss annually. To reduce the impact of the fish disease, it is necessary to address health constraints based on scientifically proven and recommended ways. This review aims at pointing out some of the best approaches to prevention and control of infectious disease in aquaculture. Among the effective prevention and control strategies, vaccination is one of the key practices. Types of vaccines for use in fish include killed vaccines, attenuated vaccines, DNA vaccines, recombinant technology vaccines, and synthetic peptide vaccines. Administration techniques of vaccines in fish include oral, injection, or immersion methods. Antibiotics are also in use in aquaculture despite their side effects in the development of drug resistance by microorganisms. Biological and chemical disease control strategies such as using probiotics, prebiotics, and medicinal plants are widely in use. Biosecurity measures in aquaculture can keep the safety of a facility from certain disease-causing agents that are absent in particular system. Farm-level biosecurity measures include strict quarantine measures, egg disinfection, traffic control, water treatments, clean feed, and disposal of mortalities. In conclusion, rather than trying to treat every disease case, it advisable to follow a preventive approach before the event of any disease outbreaks.
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