Efficacy of Flavobacterium spp. Vaccines in fish: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Flavobacterium species cause substantial economic losses in aquaculture, but no quantitative synthesis of vaccine efficacy across species, hosts, and platforms has been evaluated yet. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the efficacy of vaccines against Flavobacterium infections in fish. We systematically searched PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for controlled challenge…
The efficacy of Flavobacterium species vaccines in fish is the subject of a recent systematic review and meta-analysis. These bacteria cause significant economic losses in aquaculture, but prior research has not quantitatively analyzed vaccine effectiveness across various species, hosts, and platforms. This study aimed to determine the impact of vaccines against Flavobacterium infections in fish.
The researchers conducted a systematic search of PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus for controlled challenge trials. They calculated the pooled risk ratio using a random effects model and assessed heterogeneity and publication bias through a funnel plot and Egger's test. Sixty studies met the inclusion criteria, with 59 studies ultimately included in the main meta-analysis (377 comparisons).
The overall pooled risk ratio was found to be 0.572 (95% confidence interval: 0.55-0.60), indicating a relative percent survival of 42.8%. However, the heterogeneity among the studies was high. The efficacy of the vaccines varied significantly based on the pathogen species, fish host, vaccine type, and administration route.
The highest protection was observed against F. davisii in channel catfish, with a relative percent survival of 86.8%. In contrast, the lowest protection was achieved against F. columnare in grass carp, with a relative percent survival of only 30.6%. Live attenuated vaccines were the most effective, followed by inactivated and subunit vaccines. Among administration routes, immersion and oral vaccination proved to be equally effective, outperforming the traditional injection method.
The study identified significant publication bias (P). This comprehensive analysis provides valuable insights into the efficacy of Flavobacterium spp. vaccines in fish, highlighting the importance of considering factors such as pathogen species, host, vaccine type, and administration route when developing and implementing vaccination strategies in aquaculture.
Written by urgent.news from bioRxiv's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
