June 1, 2007

Australian scientist finds new cause of gill disease in salmon

A team from the Tasmanian Aquaculture and Fisheries Institute has identified a new species of parasitic amoeba as the cause of a disease in farmed Atlantic salmon.

Amoebic gill disease is caused by a single-celled marine organism that attaches to the gills and can cause heavy stock loss.

It was previously believed that a certain species of amoeba caused the disease, but PhD student Neil Young has found that the is caused by a previously unknown but related species.

Young said the discovery will help in the development of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines that will benefit salmon farmers.