An oral vaccine aimed at helping the Atlantic salmon farming industry tackle sea lice challenges is being developed by a team of aquaculture experts from around the world.
The project, which is being supported with funding from the Scottish Aquaculture Innovation Centre (SAIC), is looking to use recent advances in the understanding of fish immune systems to create a vaccine that can be delivered through specially-developed feeds.
Using nanoparticle technology, the vaccine will seek to improve fish resistance to parasites. Additionally, bio-engineering tools will target sea lice by triggering strong immune responses in the skin of fish, rather than delivering it through the bloodstream alone. Employing approaches used to control ticks in agriculture, the new vaccine will aim to directly target the proteins important for the parasite’s survival.
The vaccine project partners include University of Stirling‘s Institute of Aquaculture, fish feed producer BioMar, nanoparticle company SiSaf, and vaccinology company Tethys Aquaculture. They are being supported by vaccinologists from the Moredun Research Institute, and fish immunologists from the University of Maine in the United States.
“Reducing the impact of sea lice is a major concern for salmon producers around the globe and we are making headway towards finding an effective method for vaccinating fish against this parasite. There is strong evidence to support the use of an oral vaccination approach, using nanoparticles in feed for vaccine delivery in order to trigger the desired antibody response,” Sean Monaghan, from the Institute of Aquaculture at the University of Stirling, said. “Despite the range of treatment and management tools already in use, sea lice remain a challenge to the industry and increased parasite resistance to drug treatment is reducing the effectiveness of these methods. Development of a vaccine would represent a significant advance in sea lice control, providing a practical, eco-friendly tool for use in an integrated sea lice control strategy.”
Estimated to cost Scotland’s salmon production industry more than GBP 50 million (USD 66 million, EUR 59.2 million) annually, tackling sea lice is one of SAIC’s priority innovation areas. At the same time, the vaccine project directly correlates with the Scottish government’s 10-year Farmed Fish Health Framework.
“Collaborative research and development projects, such as this, harness the expertise of academia, industry partners and salmon producers, and can play a major role in future sustainability of the industry,” SAIC aquaculture innovation officer Polly Douglas said.
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
