World’s first anti-microsporidian vaccine
Tor-Eddie Fossbakk Dr. David J. Speare, an internationally recognized fish pathologist, and fellow researchers Dr. Fred Markham and Dr. Nicole Guselle, have worked on the anti-microsporidian vaccine for more than a decade, according to a university press release. Recently they published their findings in a leading international experimental medical research journal Clinical and Vaccine Immunology. The team's novel spore-based vaccine works to prevent microsporidial gill disease (MSGD) in salmon. MSGD is a significant disease to farmed salmon species caused by the microsporidian parasite Loma salmonae. The result of the disease is the death of pre-market size salmon. Mortality rates on some farms affect 30 per cent of the stock. Within repeated experimental trials of the vaccine, vaccinated fish demonstrate a significant decrease in the incidence of infection and disease. "We are very excited that we have made a breakthrough on a disease for which there are no other effective treatments," Speare said in the press release. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food production sector in the world. The aquaculture industry's worth worldwide is estimated at CAD 50 billion. In Canada, this estimate is CAD 750 million. With Canada now ranked fourth in world salmon and trout production, the research team's vaccine discovery holds great promise for safe-guarding the growth of the farmed aquatic sector at home and on a global scale. "As infectious diseases continue to remain an impediment to the development, productivity and profitability of fish farms, vaccination plays an important role in large-scale commercial fish farming," Speare explained. Microsporidians are one of the stranger and least understood parasites that can live for long periods within the cells of infected hosts. Unlike other parasites, there is no medication to fight microsporidian parasites. In human health, microsporidians have emerged as major disease problems in AIDS patients and people receiving immunosuppressive drugs after organ transplant.
