Pathogenic aquatic oomycetes infecting fish: Diversity, Disease and Impact on Aquaculture

In aquaculture sectors across the globe, oomycetes are one of the most devastating and damaging infection caused in aquaculture sectors and led major financial loss to fish farmers. These fungus-like organisms infect a wide variety of fish including freshwater and Brackishwater exhibit significant genetic and ecological diversity. The oomycetes can infect all the life stage such as eggs, stressed juveniles and adult fish; usually causes pathological alterations such as surface mycosis, systemic granulomas, necrosis, and high mortality. Chemical treatments like formalin and malachite green are a major part of current care, although their usage is becoming more limited because of safety and environmental concerns. This has highlighted the critical need for integrated measures to control these ubiquitous diseases and sparked research into sustainable alternatives, such as enhanced husbandry, probiotics, immunostimulants, and plant-based therapies.