From taxonomy to therapeutics: Integrating DNA barcoding and antimicrobial screening of marine brown algae against shrimp pathogens

To critically integrate current evidence on the therapeutic potential of marine brown algae against
aquaculture shrimp pathogens, with particular emphasis on the contribution of DNA barcoding to improve
species identification and strengthening antimicrobial investigations.
Significance of review: The rising prevalence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens in shrimp aquaculture has intensified the need for environmentally sustainable alternatives to conventional antimicrobial agents. Marine brown
algae are recognized as a rich source of structurally diverse bioactive metabolites, many of which have
demonstrated antimicrobial activity. The integration of DNA barcoding with bioactivity screening improves
taxonomic accuracy and enhances the reliability and reproducibility of bioprospecting efforts aimed at aquaculture disease management.
Key findings: Significant progress has been made in the molecular identification of brown algae, with the combined use of rbcL and ITS markers achieving a reported species resolution of > 90%. Antimicrobial screening
studies identified brown algal species exhibiting inhibitory effects against major shrimp pathogens. Among these,
species belonging to the genera Sargassum and Turbinaria were most frequently reported to demonstrate
comparatively stronger pathogen suppression. Collectively, the findings highlight the important role of accurate
taxonomic validation in enhancing the consistency and interpretability of antimicrobial screening results,
emphasizing the complementary relationship between molecular barcoding and pharmacological evaluation.
Conclusions: The integration of DNA barcoding and antimicrobial screening offers an integrated framework for
advancing the discovery of marine-derived therapeutic candidates for shrimp aquaculture. Future research
should focus on mechanistic studies, methodological standardization and validation through controlled in vivo
aquaculture trials to enable practical deployment in aquaculture systems.