Helping EU's fish farms
The EC-funded project FISHAID concentrated on commercially important fish species such as sea bass, Atlantic salmon, cod, spotted wolffish and carp. The aim was to examine the cellular and molecular mechanisms triggered by the onset of infection and shed light on the timeframes involved. Research showed that a variety of immune cells could be detected as early as a few days post-fertilisation in a number of the species under examination. In the sea bass T cells were found in the intestine and thymus 28 days post hatching, while antimicrobial enzymes were detected in the embryos/larvae of atlantic halibut. For the spotted wolffish, methods to assay antimicrobial defence mechanisms have been developed and the development cycle of the atlantic halibut thymus has also been examined. Collectively, all the derived data and resulting observations have offered new insight into the ways these species can combat infection at the molecular level. The information summarised herein could eventually lead to improved modes of vaccination and immunostimulation. The data could therefore be of great importance to researchers involved in this field and to commercial suitors active in the development of veterinary medications. The target is to protect fish farm populations against infection even before hatching and thus sustaining the EU's fish farming industry viability and sustainability in the long term.
