Progress in biomedication using live foods

With the intensification of aquaculture production systems, mass mortality of fish and shellfish caused by bacterial infections is not unusual. Chemotherapy (treatment of infection with antimicrobial compounds) and immunoprophylaxis (vaccination and immunostimulation), are the common methods applied to treat bacterial infections. In search of an efficient and cost-effective delivery route for antimicrobial agents and/or immuno-prophylactics to treat fish and shrimp larvae, the use of live prey organisms bioencapsulated with drugs has been explored. This article provides an update on the use of the bioencapsulation technique in aquaculture