Efficiency of a bacteriophage in controlling vibrio infection in the juvenile sea cucumber Apostichopus japonicus

The A. japonicus (sea cucumber) is the most profitable aquaculture animal with the highest output as single variety in China, which is of high nutritional value and economic value. In the past decade, as the growth of the market demand, A. japonicus's artificial breeding scale expands rapidly and the sea cucumber industry has become a vigorous sector in China aquaculture. However, with the high density and intensive development model of A. japonicus breeding, the various diseases have resulted in serious economic losses. Skin ulceration syndrome (SUS) is one of the most epidemic and serious diseases that affect sea cucumbers. At present, sanitizer and antibiotics are still commonly used in farms or hatcheries to control the bacterial disease in juvenile sea cucumbers, which resulted in the environment pollution and antibiotic residues. Nowadays, increased appearance of antibiotic resistant phenomenon promoted us to develop effective agents. Hence, alternative strategies to antibiotics should be further developed. This study was the first to monitor the effectiveness of using feedstuff mixed with freeze-dried phage powder as a form of protection for sea cucumber against vibrio infection, and demonstrated the effectiveness of phage in the control of pathogen in aquaculture.