Project: Control Flavobacteriaceae infections in European fish farms.
Project aims: To improve the control of Fp and Tm infections, data at both the epidemiological and molecular levels are urgently needed. This project aims at filling this scientific gap and immediately investing the acquired knowledge to provide the fish-farming community with new tools for diagnostic and prophylactic methods. Expected results: - A unified multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) scheme to characterize at the molecular level the relationships between large numbers of bacterial isolates of the most diverse origins possible; - Whole genome sequence data to characterize the gene repertoire of selected strains focusing on virulence mechanisms and host-pathogen interactions. A set of genes/proteins relevant for the development of diagnostic tools and vaccines will then be selected. The amount of genomic sequences generated in this project is estimated to about 110 Mbp of high-quality sequences (i.e., 5 to 10 Mbp for the genotyping of 1,000 isolates through MLST and 100 Mbp for the whole-genome sequencing of 32 isolates). These sequences will be deposited in the EMBL Nucleotide Sequence Database (also known as EMBL-Bank) that constitutes Europe's primary nucleotide sequence resource and made freely available to the scientific community. Exploitation: This knowledge will serve: - To understand the population structure and the epidemiology of Fp and Tm (persistance in the environment, dissemination through the global trade of fish and fish eggs, impact of vertical transmission, role of broodstocks as bacterial reservoirs, etc.) allowing risk assessment to prevent the propagation of epidemic clones with aggressive phenotypes; - To develop sensitive, fast and specific diagnostic tests to identify Fp and Tm in fish (screening of broodstocks, eggs, ovarian fluid, etc.) and in the environment (biofilms, water and fish facilities); - To identify one or several vaccine candidates that will be evaluated in the field.
| Acronym | PathoFish |
| Duration | 31/12/2013 |
| Website | visit project website |
| Network | EMIDA |
| Call | EMIDA 2009 Research Call |
Project partner
| Number | Name | Role | Country |
|---|---|---|---|
| Åbo Akademi University | Finland | ||
| Danish Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries | Denmark | ||
| French National Institute for Agricultural Research | Coordinator | France | |
| French National Research Agency | France | ||
| Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Venezie | Italy | ||
| Ministry of Agriculture And Forestry | Finland | ||
| Ministry of Health - Department for Veterinary Public Health, Nutrition and Food Safety | Italy | ||
| Norwegian Veterinary Institute | Norway | ||
| Pharmaq | Norway | ||
| Phylogene | France | ||
| Research Council of Norway | Norway | ||
| Technical University of Denmark | Denmark | ||
| University of Bern - Centre for Fish and Wildlife Health | Switzerland |