Development of an innovative recombinant protein vaccine against Aeromonas veronii in European seabass using "omics" technologies (AeroVeroVacc)

水产养殖系统内的疾病造成了重大的经济和生产损失，是扩大可持续水产养殖的主要障碍之一。疫苗接种被广泛认为是防治水产养殖业致病性疾病的有效策略，也是抗生素的宝贵替代品。一种由维氏气单胞菌引起的新出现的细菌感染是爱琴海海鱼养殖场大量死亡的原因。在体内筛选新的毒力因子可能是确定潜在候选疫苗的一种方法，用于开发针对维罗氏气单胞菌的疫苗。一种新的免疫筛选技术，体内诱导抗原技术（IVIAT），一种依赖于对病原体体外培养物吸附的抗体的方法，用于鉴定感染期间体内只表达的细菌上的免疫原性蛋白。本研究将利用尖端技术鉴定宿主体内特异性表达或上调的基因。选择影响欧洲鲈鱼的维罗氏弧菌三个分支共有的体内诱导（IVI）蛋白，设计一种针对地中海地区影响欧洲鲈鱼的维罗氏弧菌感染的通用重组蛋白疫苗。该项目多学科性强，涉及微生物学、鱼类免疫学、分子生物学、鱼类疫苗学、鱼类健康和水产养殖等学科。这种跨学科的方法对于实现为影响欧洲鲈鱼的维罗氏弧菌提供通用重组蛋白疫苗的总体目标是必要的。该项目的结果将有助于找到影响细菌毒力及其功能和关系的主要蛋白质或基因，并最终确定新的毒力因子，特别是那些抗原性多样化的病原体。该项目符合欧盟水产养殖可持续发展战略。

Disease within aquaculture systems has led to significant economic and production losses and is one of the main barriers to expanding sustainable aquaculture. Vaccination is widely accepted as an effective strategy to combat pathogenic diseases in aquaculture and a valuable alternative to antibiotics. An emerging bacterial infection caused by Aeromonas veronii has been the cause of significant mortalities in seabass farms in the Aegean Sea. Screening for novel virulence factors in vivo may be one approach for identifying potential vaccine candidates for vaccine development against Aeromonas veronii. A novel immuno-screeningtechnique, in vivo induced antigen technology (IVIAT), a method that relies on antibodies adsorbed against in vitro cultures of the pathogen, is used to identify immunogenic proteins on bacteria exclusively expressed in vivo during infection. This study will utilise cutting-edge technologies to identify genes specifically expressed or upregulated in vivo within the host. In vivo induced (IVI) proteins common to the three clades of A. veronii affecting European seabass will be selected to design a universal recombinant protein vaccine for A. veronii infections affecting European seabass in the Mediterranean. The project's multidisciplinary nature is strong, involving a combination of microbiology, fish immunology, molecular biology, fish vaccinology, fish health, and aquaculture.This interdisciplinarity approach is necessary to fulfil the overarching aim of delivering a universal recombinant protein vaccine for A. veronii affecting European seabass. Results emerging from the project will help find the chief proteins or genes that affect the virulence of the bacteria and their functions and relationships, as well as ultimately identify new virulence factors, especially for those pathogens that are antigenically diverse. This project is in line with the EU strategy for the sustainable development of aquaculture.