Development of an innovative recombinant protein vaccine against Aeromonas veronii in European seabass using "omics" technologies (AeroVeroVacc)

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Disease within aquaculture systems has led to significant economic and production losses and is one of the main barriers to expanding sustainable aquaculture. Vaccination is widely accepted as an effective strategy to combat pathogenic diseases in aquaculture and a valuable alternative to antibiotics. An emerging bacterial infection caused by Aeromonas veronii has been the cause of significant mortalities in seabass farms in the Aegean Sea. Screening for novel virulence factors in vivo may be one approach for identifying potential vaccine candidates for vaccine development against Aeromonas veronii. A novel immuno-screeningtechnique, in vivo induced antigen technology (IVIAT), a method that relies on antibodies adsorbed against in vitro cultures of the pathogen, is used to identify immunogenic proteins on bacteria exclusively expressed in vivo during infection. This study will utilise cutting-edge technologies to identify genes specifically expressed or upregulated in vivo within the host. In vivo induced (IVI) proteins common to the three clades of A. veronii affecting European seabass will be selected to design a universal recombinant protein vaccine for A. veronii infections affecting European seabass in the Mediterranean. The project's multidisciplinary nature is strong, involving a combination of microbiology, fish immunology, molecular biology, fish vaccinology, fish health, and aquaculture.This interdisciplinarity approach is necessary to fulfil the overarching aim of delivering a universal recombinant protein vaccine for A. veronii affecting European seabass. Results emerging from the project will help find the chief proteins or genes that affect the virulence of the bacteria and their functions and relationships, as well as ultimately identify new virulence factors, especially for those pathogens that are antigenically diverse. This project is in line with the EU strategy for the sustainable development of aquaculture.