Probiotic–Vaccine Synergy in Fish Aquaculture: Exploring Microbiome-Immune Interactions for Enhanced Vaccine Efficacy

The rapid expansion of aquaculture is vital for global food security, yet it faces persistent threats from disease outbreaks, vaccine inefficacy, and antibiotic overuse, all of which undermine sustainability. Conventional vaccines often fail to induce robust mucosal immunity, spurring interest in pr...

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Main Authors: Muhammad Tayyab, Waqar Islam, Waqas Waqas, Yueling Zhang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-05-01
Series:Biology
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/6/629
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author Muhammad Tayyab
Waqar Islam
Waqas Waqas
Yueling Zhang
author_facet Muhammad Tayyab
Waqar Islam
Waqas Waqas
Yueling Zhang
author_sort Muhammad Tayyab
collection DOAJ
description The rapid expansion of aquaculture is vital for global food security, yet it faces persistent threats from disease outbreaks, vaccine inefficacy, and antibiotic overuse, all of which undermine sustainability. Conventional vaccines often fail to induce robust mucosal immunity, spurring interest in probiotics as adjuvants to enhance immunogenicity. Probiotics such as <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> and <i>Lactobacillus casei</i> modulate fish microbiomes, fortify mucosal barriers, and activate innate immune responses via mechanisms including Toll-like receptor signaling and cytokine production. These actions prime the host environment for prolonged adaptive immunity, improving antigen uptake and pathogen clearance. Experimental advances—such as <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>-engineered spores increasing survival rates to 86% in <i>Vibrio anguillarum</i>-challenged European seabass—demonstrate the potential of this synergy. Innovations in delivery systems, including chitosan–alginate microcapsules and synbiotic formulations, further address oral vaccine degradation, enhancing practicality. Probiotics also suppress pathogens while enriching beneficial gut taxa, amplifying mucosal IgA and systemic IgM responses. However, challenges such as strain-specific variability, environmental dependencies, and unresolved ecological risks persist. Optimizing host-specific probiotics and advancing multi-omics research is critical to unlocking this synergy fully. Integrating probiotic mechanisms with vaccine design offers a pathway toward antibiotic-free aquaculture, aligning with One Health principles. Realizing this vision demands interdisciplinary collaboration to standardize protocols, validate field efficacy, and align policies with ecological sustainability. Probiotic–vaccine strategies represent not merely a scientific advance but an essential evolution for resilient, ecologically balanced aquaculture systems.
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spelling doaj-art-0e1d288e22cf4cae9d40979a93c2acdb2025-06-25T13:30:25ZengMDPI AGBiology2079-77372025-05-0114662910.3390/biology14060629Probiotic–Vaccine Synergy in Fish Aquaculture: Exploring Microbiome-Immune Interactions for Enhanced Vaccine EfficacyMuhammad Tayyab0Waqar Islam1Waqas Waqas2Yueling Zhang3Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, ChinaXinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Plant Roots Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, ChinaGuangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Biology, Institute of Marine Sciences, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, ChinaThe rapid expansion of aquaculture is vital for global food security, yet it faces persistent threats from disease outbreaks, vaccine inefficacy, and antibiotic overuse, all of which undermine sustainability. Conventional vaccines often fail to induce robust mucosal immunity, spurring interest in probiotics as adjuvants to enhance immunogenicity. Probiotics such as <i>Bacillus subtilis</i> and <i>Lactobacillus casei</i> modulate fish microbiomes, fortify mucosal barriers, and activate innate immune responses via mechanisms including Toll-like receptor signaling and cytokine production. These actions prime the host environment for prolonged adaptive immunity, improving antigen uptake and pathogen clearance. Experimental advances—such as <i>Bacillus subtilis</i>-engineered spores increasing survival rates to 86% in <i>Vibrio anguillarum</i>-challenged European seabass—demonstrate the potential of this synergy. Innovations in delivery systems, including chitosan–alginate microcapsules and synbiotic formulations, further address oral vaccine degradation, enhancing practicality. Probiotics also suppress pathogens while enriching beneficial gut taxa, amplifying mucosal IgA and systemic IgM responses. However, challenges such as strain-specific variability, environmental dependencies, and unresolved ecological risks persist. Optimizing host-specific probiotics and advancing multi-omics research is critical to unlocking this synergy fully. Integrating probiotic mechanisms with vaccine design offers a pathway toward antibiotic-free aquaculture, aligning with One Health principles. Realizing this vision demands interdisciplinary collaboration to standardize protocols, validate field efficacy, and align policies with ecological sustainability. Probiotic–vaccine strategies represent not merely a scientific advance but an essential evolution for resilient, ecologically balanced aquaculture systems.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/6/629probioticsvaccinesaquaculturemucosal immunitymicrobiome modulationsynbiotics
spellingShingle Muhammad Tayyab
Waqar Islam
Waqas Waqas
Yueling Zhang
Probiotic–Vaccine Synergy in Fish Aquaculture: Exploring Microbiome-Immune Interactions for Enhanced Vaccine Efficacy
Biology
probiotics
vaccines
aquaculture
mucosal immunity
microbiome modulation
synbiotics
title Probiotic–Vaccine Synergy in Fish Aquaculture: Exploring Microbiome-Immune Interactions for Enhanced Vaccine Efficacy
title_full Probiotic–Vaccine Synergy in Fish Aquaculture: Exploring Microbiome-Immune Interactions for Enhanced Vaccine Efficacy
title_fullStr Probiotic–Vaccine Synergy in Fish Aquaculture: Exploring Microbiome-Immune Interactions for Enhanced Vaccine Efficacy
title_full_unstemmed Probiotic–Vaccine Synergy in Fish Aquaculture: Exploring Microbiome-Immune Interactions for Enhanced Vaccine Efficacy
title_short Probiotic–Vaccine Synergy in Fish Aquaculture: Exploring Microbiome-Immune Interactions for Enhanced Vaccine Efficacy
title_sort probiotic vaccine synergy in fish aquaculture exploring microbiome immune interactions for enhanced vaccine efficacy
topic probiotics
vaccines
aquaculture
mucosal immunity
microbiome modulation
synbiotics
url https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/14/6/629
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AT waqaswaqas probioticvaccinesynergyinfishaquacultureexploringmicrobiomeimmuneinteractionsforenhancedvaccineefficacy
AT yuelingzhang probioticvaccinesynergyinfishaquacultureexploringmicrobiomeimmuneinteractionsforenhancedvaccineefficacy