Passive Immunization of Farmed Fish

Abstract

The fast growth and potential of global aquaculture has necessitated the adoption of sustainable and welfare-oriented therapeutics and prophylactic strategies. Knowledge gathered from studies about maternal passive immunity in fish and fish-to-fish passive immunization experiments supports the concept of using therapeutic Abs (of piscine and other vertebrate origin) in aquaculture. Traditional Ab formats (IgG, IgM) are expensive and laborious to produce; however, the introduction of new rAb fragments and single-domain Abs have reinvigorated the concept of passive immunization. This review will focus primarily on farmed salmonids (salmon and trout) within a comparative context and will give an overview of the basic principles and scientific premises for the passive immunization strategy, including existing and emerging Ab therapeutics.