Developing diagnostics for fish diseases
Due to the lack of knowledge surrounding Salmon Pancreas Disease (SPD) and Sleeping Disease (SD) until recently, little is known regarding their prevalence among fish populations. The EC-funded SPD/SD DIAGNOSIS project set out to develop specific diagnostic kits for the detection of these diseases, aiming to gain a clear picture of disease occurrence. The new diagnostics would be based on newly-gained knowledge on the nature of the alphaviruses causing these diseases. A number of diagnostic approaches were compared and contrasted throughout the duration of the SPD/SD DIAGNOSIS project. Results obtained at the Queen's University of Belfast showed that early acute infections could be detected using histology and immunohistochemistry approaches. Later-stage infections could be diagnosed using antibody detection and viral RNA detection. Furthering this line of research could result in innovative marketable products targeting the aquaculture industry and supporting its competitive advantages on a global scale.
