Acronym NA
Category
Aquaculture
Title Host specific pathogenicity in an Aeromonas salmonicida/Zebrafish infection model with particular focus on the surface A-layer protein Programme National Programme
Instrument (FP6)
Contact Type (FP7)
Strand (Interreg)
NA
Theme (FP7)
Activity Area (FP6)
Regional Area (Interreg)
Action (COST)
NA
Specific Programme (FP7)
NA
Funding source National Coordinator Snorre Gulla Coordinator email NA
Coordinator institution
NVI - Norwegian Veterinary Institute (Norway)
Institutions involved
NA
Start year 2016 End year 2020 Funding (€) € 437,684 Website NA Summary Salmon lice are one of the most important threats in Norwegian salmonid aquaculture and cleaner-fish of several species are used for biological control of salmon lice. The health situation in cleaner fish species is both alarming and unsustainable, with almost total loss of cleaner-fish during the salmon culture cycle being relatively common. Acute bacterial disease, particularly infection with Aeromonas salmonicida is the most common diagnostic finding. There is a need for development of prophylactic measures including vaccination against this bacterium. Our group (Gulla et al. 2015) recently published the first systematic typing system for A. salmonicida, based on sequence variation in the vapA gene (coding for the extracellular A-layer in A. salmonicida). This system separates all five recognised subspecies, identifies several new clusters which may well represent additional, as yet undescribed subspecies, and identifies a significant degree of host specificity in many of these clusters. A. salmonicida is a very important and almost ubiquitous pathogen in many species of fish. Without exception, all marine fish species introduced to aquaculture in recent years in Norway, including lumpsucker, ballan wrasse, turbot, halibut, cod and wolffish, have been identified as susceptible to infection by individual or a very limited range of sub-types of this bacterium. We have also identified a group of isolates which appear to be specific pathogens of fish belonging to the Cyprinidae family, to which the zebrafish belongs. As little is known regarding pathogenesis of A. salmonicida infections, we propose to make use of this specificity for Cyprinid fish to study infection processes in a well characterised and easily studied host fish species (zebrafish). When combined with genetic manipulation of the bacterium, these experiments will visualise and describe pathogenesis. The project may well result in spin-offs relating to vaccine optimisation.
Keywords
Fish;
Bacteria;
Disease;
Vaccines development;
Biology;
Genomic sequencing;
Fish health;
Marine Region
76
Not associated to marine areas
0
Marine Region Map
