- A £2.4m (US$3.2m) project targets antimicrobial resistance in Vietnam’s pangasius sector.
- Farmers face lack of options as antibiotics effectiveness declines.
- Researchers aim to develop practical, sustainable disease-management alternatives.
The University of Stirling in Scotland secured £2.4m (US$3.2m) in funding to lead a 48-month research programme examining antimicrobial resistance.
The focus will be on Vietnam’s pangasius sector, one of the world’s largest freshwater fish farming industries, to better understand the relationship between aquaculture production and antimicrobial resistance (AMR).
The funding is part of an investment of more than £54m (US$71.6m) in 18 research and innovation projects coordinated by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), focusing on tackling infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance and the development of next-generation veterinary vaccines.
The project brings together researchers from the University of Glasgow, the University of Sydney, Can Tho University and Vietnam National University.
Professor Margaret Crumlish of the University of Stirling, the lead researcher, highlighted that antimicrobial resistance is a global challenge affecting human, animal and environmental health, with aquatic ecosystems playing a significant role in the emergence and spread of resistant bacteria.
This research will examine how antimicrobial resistance develops, its impact on production, and the potential for adopting more sustainable disease management practices.
Farmers caught in the middle
Importantly, the project will focus on the options available to farmers when antibiotics are no longer effective.
Crumlish noted that aquaculture farmers in South East Asia often lack viable alternatives and may continue to use antibiotics even when their effectiveness declines.
This raises serious concerns about antimicrobial resistance and its implications for human health, animal health and the environment.
Given its scope, the project will bring together experts in aquaculture, microbiology, veterinary science, environmental science, the social sciences and the humanities.
This interdisciplinary approach aims to find out what are the factors influencing farmers’ decisions to use antibiotics, as well as their willingness to adopt new solutions.
Researchers will work directly with farmers, policymakers, businesses and other stakeholders to ensure any proposed interventions can be implemented under real-world production conditions.
This will build on the University of Stirling’s previous research into next-generation fish vaccines, using data from earlier studies to support the development of disease-management strategies that reduce reliance on antibiotics.
While the immediate focus is Vietnam’s pangasius industry, the researchers intend to develop an adaptable framework that could be applied to freshwater aquaculture sectors in other countries facing similar antimicrobial resistance challenges.
