ABSTRACT
Aquaculture has been extensively recognized as the fastest growing food production sector (FAO). Increased incidence of microbial diseases in the aquaculture system is a major obstacle in the success of this industry. Use of antibiotics has attracted a lot of criticism due to issues like antibiotic residues, bacterial drug resistance, and toxicity. In this scenario, vaccination would be the best option to combat bacterial and viral diseases for sustainable aquaculture. Vaccination plays an important role in large-scale commercial fish farming. It is an easy, effective, and preventive method of protecting fish from diseases. A protective immune mechanism is produced in an animal by the administration of vaccines. Vaccines are safe antigenic preparations from pathogenic organisms, which will stimulate the immune system of animals and thereby induce disease resistance. Once the vaccine is administered to the animal body, the antibody-producing B lymphocytes get sensitized and ready to act against the foreign agent trying to gain entry into the body. This chapter gives a detailed description on aquaculture vaccines and provides an overview of current approaches and strategies that look promising for the development of new aquaculture vaccines.
