Progress on vaccine for 'Ich,' bane of fish farms and home aquarium hobbyists

“Outbreaks of the parasitic disease caused by Ichthyophthirius (Ich) can result in losses of 50-100 percent of fish,” Dehai Xu, Ph.D., said. “The disease is very common, and almost every home fish hobbyist has encountered it. Once the parasite infects fish, and starts growing in the skin, fins, and gills, there is no really effective treatment. Ich causes losses estimated at $50 million annually. It would be much better to prevent the disease.”

Their study evaluated influence of vaccine formulation and doses of vaccine on protective immunity of channel catfish against Ich. The results showed that vaccination with live Ich theronts and trophonts killed with high-frequency sound waves stimulated production of protective antibodies in the catfish. “This study demonstrated that vaccines against Ich induced protective immunity and could provide a unique solution to prevent this parasitic disease through vaccination,” Xu said. “An Ich vaccine would have great impact by preventing the disease, minimizing loss of valuable fish and increasing profitability of aquaculture.”

VIEW FULL TEXT ARTICLE http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-08/acs-pov080610.php

CONTACT:
Dehai Xu, Ph.D., Research Parasitologist
USDA, Agricultural Research Service
Aquatic Animal Health Research Laboratory
990 Wire Road, Auburn, AL 36832-4352
Telephone: 334- 887-3741
Fax: 334- 887-2983
E-mail: Dehai.Xu@ars.usda.gov