Antibiotic resistance genes in aquaculture: Molecular detection, environmental dynamics, and biological control strategies

Antibiotic resistance in aquaculture is a major threat to sustainable fish production and global public health. This review provides a comprehensive and critical synthesis of studies on antibiotic resistance in aquaculture published between 2005 and 2025, identified through a systematic and reproducible literature search. It clarifies the molecular basis of resistance, characterizes the environmental distribution of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and evaluates current and emerging control strategies in aquaculture systems. Evidence is organized into thematic domains encompassing molecular mechanisms, environmental reservoirs and drivers, diagnostic and surveillance tools, and biological alternatives to antibiotics. In parallel, vaccines, probiotics, and bacteriophage therapy show promising, context-dependent potential when embedded in multifaceted biocontrol frameworks. This review highlights priorities including protocol standardization, rapid farm-deployable diagnostics, and optimized synergistic biocontrol strategies, supported by artificial intelligence and big data analytics, to facilitate a transition from reactive treatment to preventive, system-level resistance management in aquaculture.