Nanoparticles in shrimp aquaculture: applications in nutrition, disease management, diagnostics and biosafety
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17017/j.fish.1482Keywords:
biosafety, disease management, immunomodulation, nanoencapsulation, nanotechnology, shrimp aquacultureAbstract
Nanotechnology has emerged as a promising approach to improve nutrition, health management, disease control and pathogen detection in shrimp aquaculture. This review evaluates nano-enabled applications in penaeid shrimp, with particular emphasis on nutrition and feed utilisation, immunomodulation and antioxidant responses, disease management, biosafety and rapid diagnostics. A critical narrative search of Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus and Wiley Online Library was conducted up to 31 July 2026, with emphasis on direct in vivo evidence from penaeid shrimp. Nano-minerals, polymeric carriers, nanoencapsulated phytogenic compounds and mechanically reduced nano-enabled biological materials have shown potential to enhance growth, feed utilisation and physiological responses. Metallic and bimetallic nanoparticles have demonstrated antibacterial and antiviral activity, while nanocarriers have facilitated the oral delivery of bioactive compounds, antiviral proteins and nucleic acids. Gold nanoparticle-based platforms have also enabled rapid detection of important shrimp pathogens, particularly white spot syndrome virus. However, the biological performance of nano-enabled formulations varies depending on formulation characteristics, active dose, route of administration and exposure regime, while excessive exposure to certain metallic nanoparticles may result in oxidative disturbance and tissue injury. Most of the available evidence has been generated under controlled experimental conditions, with limited information on long-term residues, environmental fate and farm-scale performance. Nano-enabled technologies represent promising application-specific tools for shrimp aquaculture, but their commercial adoption will depend on reproducible efficacy, reliable delivery, acceptable animal and environmental safety and validation under realistic farming conditions.
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Data sharing is not applicable to this article because no new datasets were generated or analysed during the preparation of this review.
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