Solutions for emerging diseases in fish farming: diagnosis, vaccines and breeding

Abstract

Tilapia, Oreochromis ssp, is the second most cultivated fish in the world and the main specie produced in Brazil. The tilapia health is the main concern of the fish culture chain, and it has been significantly affected by emerging diseases caused by Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis (FNO) and, more recently, by the Infectious Necrosis of the Spleen and Kidney virus (ISKNV). The Fish Farming Health Center creation is necessary for the sustainable development of fish production in the State of São Paulo, to improve the technological knowledgments about national fish farming health problems. The objective of this Center will be development a diagnostic kits for emerging diseases, vaccines for these diseases and breeding to disease-related of tilapia. The project will be divided into three subprojects: 1) develop rapid diagnostic kits for FNO, and ISKNV detection based on chromatographic immunoassay test with monoclonal antibodies labeled with nanogold. An ELISA test will be developed to detect and quantify the IgM and identify the fish titration antibody after vaccination; 2) develop new vaccines for Nile tilapia against emerging fish farming diseases (Francisella noatunensis subsp. orientalis and the ISKNV virus); 3) genetic improvement for resistant/tolerant to diseases, with the objective of implementing a genetic selection program through genomics for the tilapia production chain. The potential impact of this study is to enable a technological package to boost the tilapia production chain in the aquaculture industry, with food safety, high genetic quality, added value and improvement in aquaculture health. (AU)