Recent advances in aptamer-based biosensors for fish disease diagnosis and seafood safety detection

Global aquatic products provide nearly 20 % of the animal protein in human diets, and aquaculture is one of the fastest-growing food industries. However, water pollution and overfishing have led to frequent fish diseases, severely impacting food safety. The misuse of antibiotics has exacerbated the issue of antimicrobial resistance, resulting in the emergence of superbugs that threaten human health. Therefore, the health management of fish and the assessment of food safety have become particularly important. Aptamers, as emerging biological probes, have been increasingly utilized in fish health monitoring and food safety evaluation owing to their high specificity and chemical stability, strong binding affinity, customizable design flexibility, and cost-effectiveness recently. This paper reviews traditional detection methods for fish pathogenic microorganisms and harmful substances, highlighting their limitations and the necessity for improvement. Subsequently, it provides a detailed overview of aptamer screening methods and their latest applications in detecting fish pathogenic microorganisms and harmful substances, while critically assessing the gaps in the practical application of aptamers (e.g., challenges in complex sample matrices, standardization of SELEX protocols, and scalability for large-scale aquaculture). Finally, we propose targeted future research directions: (1) developing multiplexed aptasensors for multi-analyte detection; (2) aptamer-nanotech-AI integration for intelligent and portable detection devices; (3) stability optimization for extreme aquaculture conditions (e.g., salinity and temperature); and (4) international standards for aptamer-based food safety assays. These advancements aim to bridge the gap between laboratory research and field applications, providing a theoretical foundation and practical guidance for advancing sustainable aquaculture and safeguarding global food security.