The link between environmental stress and disease onset in prawn aquaculture

联邦政府制定了到2010年将对虾养殖产量增加四倍的目标。一个主要障碍是疾病：病毒性疾病造成20%的产量损失并不罕见。为了具有国际竞争力，澳大利亚需要发展高水平的卫生生产系统。大多数对虾携带慢性病毒感染，但只有在环境压力下才表现出疾病症状。本项目将确定激活白对虾病毒病的环境压力因素。结果将纳入农场管理制度，以尽量减少作物因病损失的风险。开发生物标志物作为应激相关风险的指标可能会商业化。

The federal government has set a target for prawn aquaculture production to increase fourfold by 2010. A major barrier is disease: losses of 20% of production to viral diseases are not uncommon. To be internationally competitive, Australia needs to develop high health production systems. Most prawn stock carry chronic viral infections, but only exhibit disease symptoms following environmental stress. This project will identify environmental stressors that activate viral disease in Penaeus monodon. Outcomes will be incorporated into on-farm managerial regimes to minimize risk of crop loss to disease. Development of biomarkers as indicators of stress related risks may be commercialized.