This innovation project will build upon and refine the Phase 1 discovery that certain Arctic and Antarctic bacteria produce materials that, in combination with proprietary substances, greatly enhance the survival and activity of bacteria and viruses during freeze-drying and rehydration. This new technology promises to have direct application to the development of cost-effective, attenuated vaccines for aquatic animals. For live vaccines to be economical, the organisms must survive long enough in sufficient numbers to stimulate protective humoral, and especially cellular, immune responses. Flavobacterium columnare, attenuated Edwardsiella ictaluri bacteria, and infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) will be used as model organisms to assess the potency of more highly purified cryopreservatives. Detailed plans and strategies will also be developed to prepare for regulatory testing, patent application, product development, and various marketing approaches in Phase 3. The use of live vaccination has already become a crucially important approach to the improvement of human and livestock health (Janeway and Travers 1994, Tolud 1997). This will almost certainly hold true for aquatic animals as well. COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: Phase 3 developments of this technology will produce a new generation of aquaculture vaccines that will substantially reduce losses to disease. These live products can be readily applied to marine and fresh water animal stages too small to inject. The lack of adverse effects to biological recirculation filters will be an added benefit. It should be possible to vaccinate and raise a variety of aquatic species previously thought to be too susceptible to pathogens.
