Factors Influencing Disease Dynamics in Small-Scale Carp Polyculture in Bangladesh

Partho Pratim Debnath; Pochara Prukbenjakul; Melba G Bondad-Reantaso; Charles R Tyler; Channarong Rodkhum

doi:10.3390/ani14060966

Factors Influencing Disease Dynamics in Small-Scale Carp Polyculture in Bangladesh

Animals (Basel). 2024 Mar 20;14(6):966. doi: 10.3390/ani14060966.

Authors

Partho Pratim Debnath^{1

2}, Pochara Prukbenjakul^{1

2}, Melba G Bondad-Reantaso³, Charles R Tyler⁴, Channarong Rodkhum^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Center of Excellence in Fish Infectious Diseases Research Unit (CE FID), Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
² Department of Veterinary Microbiology, Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
³ Fisheries and Aquaculture Division, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 00153 Rome, Italy.
⁴ Centre for Sustainable Aquaculture Futures, Biosciences, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK.

Abstract

Small-scale carp polyculture plays a key role in food supply in Bangladesh. However, factors including water pollution, limited infrastructure, and inadequate disease management hinder its sustainability. This paper reports on a survey of 231 farmers across the six major carp producing regions in Bangladesh, analyzing factors including farmers' social aspects, farm characteristics, information on disease and approaches adopted to combat them, and biosecurity practices. Almost half (46.8%) of the farms surveyed experienced disease in carp species, with clear regional variations. Eighty-four percent of farms reported carp mortalities during disease outbreaks, with an average mortality level of 10.23 ± 11.81%. Clinical signs during outbreaks lasted between a week and a month, with a peak in disease outbreaks occurring in two seasonal periods between June and July and October and December. Disease incidence was related to a range of factors including the farmer's experience, ponds/farm type, stocked species, and biosecurity practice. A combination of disinfecting measures during pond preparation and measures during stocking, including discarding fingerling transport water away from the farm, fingerling disinfection, and checking the health of fingerlings before stocking, significantly reduced disease occurrence. Treatments involving antibiotics, ciprofloxacin, erythromycin, and azithromycin were reported as ineffective, raising concerns about their non-prudent use, inadequate dosing (perhaps without appropriate veterinary guidance), and the potential for driving antimicrobial resistance in the environment. The research unveils a concerning pattern of high disease incidence across small-scale carp farms in Bangladesh, and the significant potential for disease spread highlights the need for responsible disposal practices. The study emphasizes the need for improving training and awareness programs for addressing biosecurity and disease management challenges, ensuring sustainable aquaculture and community well-being.

Keywords: antimicrobial resistance; biosecurity; farm management; sustainable aquaculture.

Grants and funding

The survey work for this research was undertaken as part of, and funded by, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UNFAO). Partho Pratim Debnath was supported by the Second Century Fund (C2F) for postdoctoral fellowships from Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. This project was funded by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) under Mid-Career Talented Researchers grant no. NRCT5-RSA63001-01, NRCT: R. Thanawongnuwech NRCT Senior Scholar 2022 #N42A650553 and the Thailand Science Research and Innovation Fund Chulalongkorn University (FOOD66310014).