November 23, 2007

US develops new vaccine for catfish

Mississippi State University researchers are working on a new vaccine to protect catfish from a virus that could cost the industry millions of dollars each year.

The US Department of Agriculture awarded around US$371,400 to the University's College of Veterinary Medicine to study enteric septicemia, or ESC.

Attila Karsi, the project director, said enteric septicemia is a bacterial disease that costs the catfish industry US$50 million to US$60 million every year.

ESC was first identified in 1976 and it has plagued Mississippi's catfish production each year. The state's catfish industry was valued at nearly US$273 million in 2006.

Charlie Hogue, catfish specialist with MSU's Extension Service, said ESC and columnaris are the most common diagnoses in Mississippi aquaculture laboratories.

ESC is present in spring and fall when water temperatures are between 72 and 82 degrees.

Karsi discussed that the three-year project will involve functional genomics to determine genes of the bacterial pathogen that causes the disease.

Researchers will genetically modify the bacteria and assess the modified strains' vaccine potency. Once the most promising vaccines have been developed, researchers will test for the most effective method.