Biotechnology offers revolution to fish health management

摘要

Biotechnology has many applications in fish health management.The application of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) provides a rapid means of pathogen identification;antibodies to immunoglobulins from different fish species can be used to monitor the host response following vaccination;and mAbs also have the potential for screening broodstock for previous exposure to pathogens.Luminex technology exemplifies a novel antibody-based method that can be applied to both pathogen detection and vaccine development.Molecular technologies,such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR),real time PCR and nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA),have enabled detection,identification and quantification of extremely low levels of aquatic pathogens,and microarray technologies offer a new dimension to multiplex screening for pathogens and host response.Recombinant DNA technology permits large-scale,low-cost vaccine production,moreover DNA vaccination,proteomics,adjuvant design and oral vaccine delivery will undoubtedly foster the development of effective fish vaccines in the future.