Assessing the feasibility of an integrated pest management approach for the control of Kudoa thyrsites in farmed Atlantic Salmon in British Columbia

Description

Increased understanding of the life-history and host parasite relationship of Kudoa thyrsites is a top research priority by the B.C. Salmon Farmers Association. This is a myxozoan parasite that occurs as spore-filled plasmodia within the skeletal muscle of marine fish, including farmed Atlantic salmon in British Columbia. Infections are associated with reduced fillet quality that results from proteolytic degradation of the muscle. The maturation and eventual rupture of spore-filled plasmodia within skeletal muscle cells is associated with an intense inflammatory response in Atlantic salmon post-smolts. Farmed Atlantic salmon appear to be at risk of infection throughout British Columbia, however there is significant geographic variation in the probability of infection among coastal zones. Early screening of farmed stock is now often used for Kudoa detection. Neither vaccines nor medicines are currently available for the prevention or treatment of the infection. The key elements in an integrated pest management program include prevention, monitoring, identification of threshold for action and control. The proposed research will address two of these elements: the characterization of risk factors and the availability of an effective therapeutant.

Program Name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Year(s)

2009 - 2010

Ecoregion(s)

Pacific: Vancouver Island West Coast

Principal Investigator(s)

Simon Jones
Email: Simon.Jones@dfo-mpo.gc.ca