Aquafin CRC - Atlantic Salmon Aquaculture Subprogram: treatment and pathophysiology of Amoebic Gill Disease

Funded Activity Summary

There is an urgent need to develop novel treatments which would reduce the impact of AGD on salmon industry. A detailed benefit – cost analysis for the AQUAFIN CRC AGD project was undertaken which gave a Net Present Value of the economic benefit of $21.6M, Benefit/Cost Ratio of 5.3. The current project will deliver the short-term solutions and provide information and advice to the industry on a regular basis.

The current project is part of an integrated research program, with deliverables not only aligned with the development of novel treatments, but also with effective vaccine development, management and other control methods. Developing and maintaining standarised infection is included in this subproject, and it will be crucial for vaccine testing and experimental work within the Host-pathogen interaction project and the Model development – epidemiology of AGD project. The development of a quantitative experimental challenge model is an essential prerequisite to vaccine research and novel treatment testing. Without the quantitative experimental model it is very difficult to compare effectiveness of treatments or vaccines tested in separate experiments. Additionally, the controlled lab infection will provide crude gill isolates to researchers working in other projects.

The growth of the industry and ineffectiveness of freshwater bathing has resulted in the need for the development of new treatments that will either aid in improving current freshwater bathing technology, or offer completely new avenues for the treatment of AGD in Atlantic salmon. Effective treatment of the disease can only be achieved if we understand the physiological and pathological processes at work. To this end it is imperative that we understand:

1. The effect of the parasite on the normal physiology of the salmon so resulting in mortality
2. The effect of the treatment on the parasite
3. The effects of the treatment on fish parasitised to different degrees (I.e., potential toxicity side effects of treatments)

Successful treatments will be rapidly adopted by the industry given the problems with freshwater bathing technology. Advances in the development of either additives to the current freshwater baths or freshwater bath replacement by a less time-consuming chemical treatment will ensure that treatment and control of AGD as a constraint to Atlantic salmon production in Tasmania is eliminated.

Objectives:
1. Establish an on-going laboratory source of AGD affected fish.
2. Establish and validate controlled infection/challenge system.
3. To understand how AGD affects the respiratory and cardiovascular systems of Atlantic salmon.
4. To determine how environmental parameters interact with AGD pathophysiology. In particular the interaction of temperature, oxygen, salinity, and carbon dioxide.
5. To develop and test new chemical or pharmaceutical treatments for the control of AGD.
6. To optimise the efficacy of current treatments by minimising the physiological impact on the fish.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 31-01-2002

End Date: 21-10-2005

Funding Scheme: Funding Scheme not available

Funding Amount: $659,515.00

Funder: Fisheries Research and Development Corporation

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

There are no FoR codes available for this funding activity

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Animal Health | Animal Welfare | Aquaculture | Biosecurity | Disease | Physiology

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