I-Corps: Commercial potential for diagnostics and a vaccine targeting epidemic Aeromonas hydrophila

I-Corps团队的这项提案将调查进一步开发的技术，使其能够检测和控制水产养殖叉尾鱼中新出现的细菌病原体嗜水气单胞菌。具体地说，这项技术着眼于水生孢子虫的特异性诊断分析，它使用1)基于生长的、2)基于抗体的或3)基于DNA的方法，以及用于预防鲶鱼疾病的疫苗。研究人员使用下一代测序来识别流行的嗜水气单胞菌中存在的独特遗传元素。基于这一知识，他们开发了针对流行性嗜水气单胞菌的生长、抗体和基因特异性诊断分析，以及一种可用于疾病预防的疫苗株。从2009年开始，由于嗜水气单胞菌引起的疾病在池塘中暴发流行，每年造成数百万磅的鲶鱼损失。这些损失威胁到了鲶鱼行业的经济可持续性，并支持了相关行业，如动物饲料行业、餐馆等。由于目前几乎没有针对流行的嗜水气单胞菌的诊断或控制产品，研究小组假设这些技术在社区中具有重大影响。这些技术有能力显著减少由于嗜水气单胞菌造成的损失，预计每年仍将有超过300万磅的食用大小的鲶鱼。通过帮助提高生物安全，诊断化验可以成为防止这种疾病传播到美国其他地区(例如密西西比州、路易斯安那州和阿肯色州)的重要工具。

This I-CORPS team proposal will investigate the further development of technology that allows the detection and control of the emerging bacterial pathogen Aeromonas hydrophila in aquaculture farmed catfish. Specifically, this technology looks at A. hydrophila-specific diagnostic assays that use 1) growth-based, 2) antibody-based, or 3) DNA-based methods, as well as for a vaccine to prevent disease in catfish. Researchers used next-generation sequencing to identify unique genetic elements present in epidemic A. hydrophila. Based on this knowledge, they have developed growth-based, antibody-based, and gene-specific diagnostic assays specific to epidemic A. hydrophila, and a vaccine strain that can be used for disease preventionCatfish farming is an important aquaculture sector in the USA. Beginning in 2009, epidemic outbreaks of disease due to Aeromonas hydrophila emerged in catfish ponds, causing the annual loss of millions of pounds of catfish. These losses have threatened economic sustainability in the catfish industry, and supports related sectors such as the animal feed industry, restaurants, among others. Since there are few currently available diagnostic or control products targeting the epidemic A. hydrophila, the team hypothesizes that these technologies have a significant impact in the community. These technologies have the ability to significantly reduce losses due to A. hydrophila that are anticipated to continue to be in excess of 3 million pounds of food-size catfish per year. By helping to improve biosecurity, the diagnostic assays can be an important tool in preventing the spread of this disease to other regions in the United States (e.g., Mississippi, Louisiana and Arkansas).