Ludhiana The department of aquatic environment, College of Fisheries (COF), Guru Angad Dev Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (GADVASU), was accorded sanction for 3-year long research project along with grant of ₹28.11 lakhs by the department of atomic energy (DAE), board of research in nuclear sciences, government of India, on Friday.
In the research project, “Development of phage-based strategies for biocontrol of antibiotic resistant Aeromonas species in fishery products,” bacteria killing viruses called “phages” will be used to control Aeromonas contamination in fishery products to develop phage-cocktails (mixtures) that could be applied directly by the consumer.
Assistant professor Anuj Tyagi, principal investigator of the project revealed that different Aeromonas (bacteria) species are important fish pathogens, causing gastroenteritis (vomiting, diarrhea, nausea) in humans.
“Chemical antibiotics are often used to control bacterial pathogens in fishery products, but due to increasing consumer awareness and global spread of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), there is an urgent need to develop alternative control strategies to safeguard the environment and consumer health,” he said.
Dean Meera D Ansal, COF said, “Rapidly emerging antibiotic-resistant pathogens in the environment necessitates to develop eco-friendly organic solutions to curtail use of harmful chemicals in food industry. Output of the project will present a novel biocontrol product with prodigious commercial application.”