Bacteriophage based technology to control Flavobacterium pathogens in aquaculture (BONUS FLAVOPHAGE) (23369)

The objective of FLAVOPHAGE is to improve the sustainability of aquaculture in the Baltic Sea region by developing environmentally balanced strategies to control the important Flavobacteria pathogens without harming the surrounding microbiota, hence reducing the environmental impact of antibiotic use, and increase productivity and food safety.

By applying a novel approach using phages for pathogen control, we aim at providing robust and sustainable alternatives to traditional chemical treatments of fish diseases which aims at
1) Reducing fish mortality and increasing production efficiency.
2) Minimizing need for antibiotic use and dispersal in the environment.
3) Decreasing feed conversion ratio, hence reducing eutrophication.
4) Increasing fish welfare and food and water safety.

Specifically, the project will provide an array of new tools to control and prevent infectious diseases in salmonid hatcheries, primarily rainbow trout, and caged farms by targeting key bacterial pathogens in these systems: Flavobacterium psychrophilum, and Flavobacterium columnare.

Partners
National Institute of Aquatic Resources, DTU Aqua
Copenhagen University, Marine Biological Laboratory, Denmark (coordinator)
Aabo Akademi University, Finland
Jyväskylä University, Finland
Phage Control, Poland

Funding
The project is funded by BONUS.

Research area: Fish and Shellfish Diseases