Virulence mechanisms of bacterial aquaculture pathogens and antivirulence therapy for aquaculture
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Date
2013
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Publisher
Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd
Abstract
Although aquaculture continues to be the fastest-growing food-producing industry
worldwide, the sector faces important challenges with respect to controlling
infectious diseases. Indeed, the frequent use of antibiotics, which are traditionally
the most important line of defence against bacterial disease, has raised problems
related to the development and spread of resistance. As a result, we currently are
in a race to develop novel therapeutics that should allow us to continue controlling
bacterial disease in the future. In this respect, scientific progress of the past
years has allowed us to start understanding the mechanisms by which bacterial
pathogens are causing disease. This knowledge in its turn opens up novel possibilities
to combat infections by interfering with these mechanisms, a strategy that
has been termed antivirulence therapy. In this review, the current knowledge with
respect to pathogenicity mechanisms of bacterial aquaculture pathogens is discussed,
including adhesion mechanisms, production of extracellular polysaccharides
and biofilm formation, production of lytic enzymes (e.g. haemolysins and
proteases), mechanisms of iron acquisition, secretion systems and regulatory
mechanisms such as quorum sensing and host–pathogen signalling with catecholamine
stress hormones. Furthermore, an overview is given of the first steps
towards antivirulence therapy for aquaculture, with a focus on quorum sensing
disruption as a proof of concept.
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Keywords
Aeromonas, Edwardsiella, host–microbe interaction, host–pathogen interaction, Vibrio