Project Number: 6420-32000-019-01
Project Type: Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Dec 01, 2004
End Date: Nov 30, 2009

Objective:
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.

Approach:
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.