OMEGA
Operable Magic to
Effectively Getting over AHPND
Importance:
Shrimp is a crucial species in the aquaculture of our nation. Most notably, Penaeus vannamei, one of the most important commercial shrimps in the world, has taken a large proportion in our country's shrimp industry as well.
Local problems:
One of the most serious diseases, acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND), results in the widespread mortality of shrimps and significant decline in shrimp production.
Since the first case of infection discovered in 2009, AHPND has widely spread throughout the major shrimp farms in the world, causing enormous financial losses.
Pathogen:
According to studies, Vibrio parahaemolyticus is the pathogen that triggers AHPND. It secretes the toxic proteins PirA and PirB, encoded by genes on the auto-transmiddsible plasmid pVA1. This plasmid is essential for V. parahaemolyticus to cause AHPND.
Existing methods:
Antibiotic treatment is often utilized to prevent and control V.parahaemolyticus infection in aquaculture.
However, the prolonged exposure to antibiotics would lead to the development of drug resistance. And the overuse of antibiotics will also disrupt the ecological balance and endanger the biosphere worldwide.
Our expectations:
By formulating a point-of-care detection method to Vibrio parahaemolyticus based on a cell-free system and a long-term treatment for AHPND using outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), we hope to offer a solution to the issue of AHPND and ensure the green, healthy and sustainable growth of the aquaculture industry.
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