Sea lice resistance to avermectins

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The Long Term Goal of this program is to develop strategies to identify, monitor, and control resistance of sea lice to therapeutants used in salmonid aquaculture with a focus on increasing our knowledge of sea lice biology, especially as it relates to sea lice-salmon interactions so that sea lice can be controlled more effectively.  The Short-Term Objective is to increase our understanding of the mechanisms of action of the avermectin, emamectin benzoate (EMB; SLICE), currently the predominant drug used for sea lice control. This study will enhance our understanding of how avermectins act in sea lice and how drug resistance can develop.  This is a basic research program with applications directly relevant to the salmonid aquaculture industry. Specific goals are to further understand how the drug gets from the salmon skin to the target site in sea lice and how this transport is controlled.  We also want to know exactly how the avermectins kill sea lice and want to know more about the target site.  Both these parameters also have implications in resistance development. Decreased uptake would lead to less drug available at the target site and thus decreased efficacy.  Changes in receptor structure would also result in decreased efficacy. Understanding the mechanisms of avermectin action may provide the basis for novel drug development for sea lice control, especially if the target for avermectins is different than for other arthropods.  Increased understanding of sea lice resistance mechanisms would allow for more rapid detection of resistance development as well as improved therapeutic strategies.