MSU convenes aquatic health experts to address antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture
Contact: Mary Kathryn Kight
STARKVILLE, Miss.—Aquatic health researchers, industry professionals and other experts from across the country are gathering at Mississippi State University to examine antimicrobial resistance and its implications for aquaculture and aquatic animal health.
The third annual MSU Aquatic Antimicrobial Resistance Workshop, hosted by MSU’s Global Center for Aquatic Health and Food Security, or GCAHFS, and the Division of Agriculture, Forestry and Veterinary Medicine, or DAFVM, this week features presentations and discussions on antimicrobial resistance, aquatic animal health, diagnostics and disease prevention.
The topic is particularly relevant in Mississippi, the nation’s leading producer of catfish. As the top aquaculture species in the U.S., catfish accounted for 59% of U.S. food-fish sales in 2023, and ScholarGPS ranked Mississippi State as No. 1 in the world for aquaculture research in 2024 and 2025.
MSU’s work in aquatic health also extends beyond the state’s aquaculture industry. In September, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations renewed the university’s designation as an FAO Reference Centre on Antimicrobial Resistance and Aquaculture Biosecurity for a five-year term. The designation recognizes the university’s contributions to aquatic animal health, antimicrobial stewardship, aquaculture biosecurity and food security.
“FAO’s renewal of Mississippi State’s designation as a Reference Centre recognizes the expertise and contributions of our researchers, but it also reinforces our responsibility to continue advancing this work,” said Mark Lawrence, MSU GCAHFS director. “The issues we are addressing in Mississippi’s aquaculture industry are connected to challenges facing aquatic food production around the world.”
Keynote speaker Benjamin Beck of the USDA Agricultural Research Service’s Aquatic Health Research Unit in Auburn, Alabama, discussed the risks of antimicrobial resistance in aquaculture.
“Novel alternatives to antimicrobials are desperately needed to prevent and control disease outbreaks in the catfish industry,” Beck said. “Our research team, working alongside Mississippi State investigators, has made major strides in this area. Our work has characterized mechanisms that govern disease initiation and progression and identified new strategies to minimize disease-related losses without the use of antibiotics.”
“Mississippi State brings together expertise in veterinary medicine, agriculture and aquatic health that allows us to look at these issues from multiple perspectives,” said Keith Coble, vice president of DAFVM. “That work is important to Mississippi producers, but its impact reaches much further as we work to support healthy and sustainable aquatic food systems.”
The workshop was preceded by a continuing education program at MSU’s Delta Research and Extension Center in Stoneville focused on fish health and production, with participants touring the Thad Cochran National Warmwater Aquaculture Center.
Mississippi State University is taking care of what matters.