2007 Annual Report 1a.Objectives (from AD-416) The objective of this cooperative research project is to allow exchanges of scientific personnel, to plan and implement collaborative research in fish health. The objective of the collaborative research under this agreement is the testing, development of vaccines and the characteristics of the mechanisms immune responses to vaccination that may be useful for the prevention of diseases of cultured tilapia and other species of warm water cultured fish. Another objective is characterizing mechanisms of immunity and disease transmission in cultured warm water fish. 1b.Approach (from AD-416) Streptococcus and other bacterial pathogen vaccines will be evaluated under field conditions to determine the efficacy and safety of the vaccines. ARS has developed and published methods for development of new vaccines for fish pathogens of warm water fish and will aid in the development of vaccines for pathogens of mutual interest. ARS has developed immunological reagents and published methods for detection of the immune response to Streptococcus and other bacterial pathogens that will be used in the evaluation of the immune response to vaccination and mechanisms of disease transmission in warm water fish. 3.Progress Report This report serves to document research conducted under a Non-Funded Cooperative Agreement between ARS and the Guangxi Institute of Fisheries. Additional details of research can be found in the report for the in-house project 6435-32000-019-00D, "Vaccinology and Immunity of Aquatic Animals." Guangxi Institute of Fisheries were the recipient of extramural funding from the Chinese government and Guangxi Providence to upgrade their capacity to conduct aquatic animal health research based on a research proposal prepared by the institute and their ARS cooperators. A planned site visit by ARS cooperators to the Institute will be done in November, 2007, for the purpose of cooperative research on fish health.