Halophilic lactic acid bacteria: A minireview of their prospects in marine aquaculture health management

Abstract

The sustainable management of diseases in marine fish aquaculture remains a critical challenge, thus exploring the alternative to control the disease is needed. Probiotics offers the advantages for disease control compared to other strategies and for some extremophiles, particularly halophilic bacteria, are gaining attention. This minireview examines the probiotic potential of halophilic bacteria as eco-friendly alternatives for disease control in marine fish farming. Halophilic bacteria, naturally adapted to high-salinity environments through specialized physiological mechanisms, offer distinct advantages over conventional probiotics that often fail to survive in marine conditions. Various studies have demonstrated that halophilic bacteria exhibit broad-spectrum antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal activities while enhancing growth performance, digestive enzyme activity, and immune parameters in aquaculture species. Given the substantial contribution of marine fish to global food security and the specific challenges faced in their farming, halophilic bacteria particularly halophilic lactic acid bacteria with Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) status represent promising and sustainable alternatives for health management in aquaculture.