Research growth vaccines for catfish

RMIT University is cooperating to develop a vaccine against edwardsiella ictaluri to improve the quality of pangasius in Vietnam. Professor Peter Coloe, Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences at RMIT University, is working with Ms Phan Ngoc Thuy, a doctoral student to study this issue.

Professor Coloe said: "Aquaculture is an important element in the globalization program in Vietnam at the macro level and the lives of tens of thousands of households are determined by the productivity at the farm level. Therefore, RMIT wants to help young Vietnamese scientists solve the difficulties and challenges faced by Vietnamese farmers and fishermen '.

Professor Peter Coloe, RMIT University, with Ms Phan Ngoc Thuy, a doctoral student, studying fish samples (Photo: SGTT)

Juveniles will be released into pre-prepared water before being returned to the culture environment. This vaccine will help fish fight disease and grow well until the harvest season. The researchers' intention is to create vaccines that can be implanted in fish and increase immunity but do not cause disease. The most effective vaccine is extracted from a living bacterium that is weakened to no longer be harmful, because they can stimulate the entire immune system.

The vaccine produced by this method will prolong the immunity of fish longer than using the vaccine extracted from dead bacteria. According to Professor Coloe, this is a measure for animal vaccines. A similar procedure is used to create a chicken vaccine for chicken vaccines and to protect them against salmonella. This is another research project conducted at RMIT University.

Professor Coloe and Ms Thuy are collecting and analyzing samples of fish from Vinh Long and Can Tho. They believe that the density of overloaded fish farming in ponds will contribute to increasing the transmission of bacteria. They compared two separate aquariums, one that fed 90 fish in a cubic meter of water and one that fed 30 fish in a cubic meter of water and also calculated the diet of fish in the two lakes. Thuy said: "It is clear that for the lake to raise 90 fish in a cubic meter of water, the water quality is very poor and the risk of fish infection is higher.

In Thanh Hung fish processing factory in Can Tho, basa fish and goldfish are exported to Australia, into Woolworth retail system. When visiting Coloe with the factory, Dr. Patrick Griffiths from Vietnam said he consulted with the production line including scientists, representatives of fisheries, processors and farmers. people. All agreed that without the vaccine, farmers would face the immediate risk of fish refusing to process, and then be denied import.

Professor Coloe is particularly impressed by the high quality of fish at Thanh Hung factory: "This processing factory is very clean and has high productivity. Live basa fish is transported from upstream by barge in the morning. Fish are then cleaned, skipped and frozen " . After the inspection, the fish will be packed by ship from the Hau River to Saigon Port and it takes about 15 days to arrive in Melbourne for Australian families.