Probiotics and prebiotics as alternatives to antibiotics in aquaculture: a systematic and bibliometric review of antimicrobial and antioxidant mechanisms

Background: The aquaculture industry has prominent role in the commercial production of fish protein needs of the world. Various technologies have emerged to improve the aquaculture industry. The alternative strategies for antibiotics and chemicals used in aquaculture to treat infectious disease are the potential probiotics and plant-derived prebiotics. As a result, farmers who depend on aquaculture were encouraged to use alternative strategies to prevent diseases. This review focuses on the effect of the antimicrobial and antioxidant properties of the prebiotic and probiotic bacterial strains on the aquatic pathogens. Methods: The systematic search related to probiotics and prebiotic effect on the aquaculture industry from Scopus databases was retrieved to identify the years of publications, countries from which it was published from 2015 to 2025. The bibliometric analysis performed provided comprehensive and detailed scientific data using quantitative tools like VOSviewer software. Results: A total of 339 publications and book chapters from the year 2005 to 2025 were retrieved for a major part of bibliometric analysis. A total of 1,475 research articles, reviews and book chapters were extracted for the VOS viewer networking. The countries from which maximum more research articles are India, China, and United States having 67, 50, and 36 publications, respectively. The top current keywords used are "probiotics," "prebiotics," and "aquaculture." Conclusion: Both probiotic and prebiotics bacteria have a positive effect on immune responses, disease resistance, growth performance and tolerance against abiotic stressors of aquatic species is also discussed. The bioactive compounds and antioxidant effect of both probiotic and prebiotic bacteria are reported to have beneficial effects as a feed additive which can improve feed quality and animal health.