Bacillus Probiotics for Sustainable Aquaculture

This book provides a comprehensive examination of the role of Bacillus bacteria in aquaculture, particularly focusing on finfish and shellfish. It begins with foundational chapters on the anatomy and physiology of these aquatic species, their immune systems, and the biology of Bacillus bacteria. The book discusses the specific interactions between Bacillus and the gastrointestinal tracts of fish and shellfish, examining the production and effects of Bacillus-derived exoenzymes and bacteriocins and their role in enhancing aquatic animal health and water quality. Additionally, the book covers the role of Bacillus in bioremediation, particularly in improving water quality, which is a significant concern in aquaculture. The latter sections delve into the application of Bacillus as probiotics and paraprobiotics in fish and shellfish culture, their integration in feed biotechnology, and a critical evaluation of their safety. The book concludes with a critical discussion on the safety and regulatory aspects of using Bacillus in aquaculture.

This book is intended for professionals and practitioners in the aquaculture industry and researchers, academicians, and students in the fields of microbiology, marine biology, aquaculture, and veterinary medicine.

Author Biography

Mehdi Soltani, PhD, is a distinguished professor at the University of Tehran and an adjunct professor at Murdoch University, Australia. His research interests include vaccine development for fish pathogens, immunopathogenesis of infectious agents in fish/shellfish, and development of alternative therapies such as immunostimulants, probiotics, and phytobiotics for disease control in farmed fish and shellfish.

Preetham Elumalai, PhD, is an associate professor at the Department of Marine Biology, Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India. His research includes bioassay-guided identification of novel marine compounds, unveiling fish lectins in innate immune defense, aquatic vaccine development, evaluation of cost-effective feed additives and nutrigenomics, and effects of environmental pollutants on marine ecosystems.

Koushik Ghosh is a professor and former Head in the Department of Zoology, The University of Burdwan. He is also serving as the Director (Addl. Charge) of the Rural Technology Centre of the university. Prof. Ghosh has got extensive experience and expertise in the areas of his research, e.g., nutritional interference caused by the plant secondary metabolites, utilization of non-conventional plant resources for low-cost diet formulation and applications of functional feed additives to promote growth and disease resistance in fish.

Einar Ringø is a professor emeritus at Norwegian College of Fishery Science, Faculty of Biosciences, Fisheries and Economics, UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Ringø has scientific experience in microbial ecology, lipid nutrition and electron microscopy in various species of marine fish larvae and fry and freshwater fish species since 1982. During his academic career, Ringø has published 262 scientific publications.