Understanding host-pathogen interactions between Atlantic salmon and saprolegnia parasitica in order to develop new approaches for disease management

全球鱼类产量的增长几乎完全是由于水产养殖的鳍鱼产量增加，占2011年人类消费鱼类总产量的41%以上（6360万吨）（粮农组织，2012年）。水产养殖经济损失的最大原因是鱼病，卵菌感染的影响仅次于细菌感染。水霉属卵菌可引起水霉病。加拿大水产养殖业广泛认识到，这种疾病在所有淡水作业中普遍存在，由于其对鱼类健康的影响，给鱼类生产带来额外成本。本研究的中心科学目标是开发实验工具，并生成一个信息数据库，从中我们可以更好地了解宿主物种的大西洋鲑鱼和病原体寄生水霉之间的宿主-病原体相互作用。对感染过程和宿主反应的更好理解将使我们能够确定每个过程的特定元素，这些元素可能作为疾病抑制和控制的潜在基因靶点。这些目标将在随后的研究中进行审查，重点是水霉病的控制措施。进一步了解病原体的感染机制，以及更好地了解宿主的反应，将为水产养殖业的疾病管理提供有价值的信息。

Growth in global fish production is due almost entirely to the increase in fin fish production by aquaculture, representing more than 41% (63.6 million tonnes) of total fish production for human consumption in 2011 (FAO, 2012). The largest cause of economic losses in aquaculture is from fish diseases, with oomycete infections being second only to bacterial infections in terms of their impact. Oomycetes of the genus Saprolegnia can cause saprolegniosis. It is widely recognized by the aquaculture industry in Canada that this disease is prevalent in all freshwater operations and represents an additional cost to fish production due to its impact on fish health. The central scientific objective of this study is to develop experimental tools and generate an information database from which we can attain a better understanding of host-pathogen interactions between the host species of Atlantic salmon and the pathogen Saprolegnia parasitica. An improved understanding of both the infection process and host response will allow us to identify specific elements of each process that may serve as potential gene targets for disease suppression and control. These targets will be examined in subsequent studies focused on control measures for Saprolegniosis. An improved understanding of the infection mechanisms followed by the pathogen, as well as a better understanding of how the host does respond will provide valuable information for disease management by the aquaculture industry.