New vaccines and diagnostics to control viral disease in farmed crocodiles

养殖鳄鱼感染西尼罗病毒（WNV）会导致皮肤损伤，使皮革不适合用于高质量的皮革制品。这导致澳大利亚鳄鱼业每年损失近2000万美元的收入。我们开发了一种新技术，用于生产安全有效的动物西尼罗河病毒疫苗和诊断检测。我们的目标是1)在养殖鳄鱼中进行疫苗试验，以确定最佳剂量配方和免疫制度，以提供长期预防西尼罗河病毒疾病的保护；2)验证畜栏侧检测，快速诊断养殖场鳄鱼感染西尼罗河病毒；3)将技术转让给生产设施，以确保疫苗和诊断检测的商业供应。

Infection of farmed crocodiles with West Nile virus (WNV) causes lesions in the skin that render the hides unsuitable for high quality leather products. This results in >$20 million lost revenue to the Australian crocodile industry annually. We have developed a novel technology to generate safe and effective vaccines and diagnostic tests for WNV in animals. We aim to 1) conduct vaccine trials in farmed crocodiles to determine the optimum dose formulation and immunisation regime to provide long-lived protection against WNV disease; 2) validate pen-side tests to rapidly diagnose WNV infection in crocodiles on farms; and 3) transfer the technology to a manufacturing facility to ensure a commercial supply of the vaccines and diagnostic tests.