Aquaculture 2022

February 28 - March 4, 2022

San Diego, California

SUPERTROUT: IMPROVING SUSTAINABILITY AND PERFORMANCE OF AQUACULTURE FARMING SYSTEM THROUGH BREEDING FOR LACTOCOCCOSIS RESISTANCE IN RAINBOW TROUT

Nadia Stoppani, Paolo Pastorino*, Ilhan Altinok, Konstantina Bitchava, Lucio Fariano, Ana Isabel Vela Alonso, Donatella Volpatti, Pier Luigi Acutis

S.S. Acquacoltura, Ittiopatologia e Biologia degli Ambienti Acquatici

Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale del Piemonte, Liguria e Valle d’Aosta

Torino, TO 10154, Italy

paolo.pastorino@izsto.it

 



 Lactococcosis is a well-known infectious disease affecting aquaculture farming systems ,  caused by the increase  in  water temperature  associated to the global warming .  Lactococcus garvieae ,  a warm-water pathogen,  is  the  responsible  of lactococcosis and significant economic losses in aquaculture worldwide , in particular for rainbow trout farming system. T he loss due to this infection is  around 10-60% of the total rainbow trout production; mortality increasing are reported when water temperature exceeds 15 °C . The overall objective of SUPERTROUT is to improve sustainability and profitability of small-scale farming system facing lactococcosis in rainbow trout applying innovative strategies.

This infectious disease is a critical issue for the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea where the temperate climate, associated with the global warming, in recent years, favoured the durability and diffusion of lactococcosis outbreaks. This issue mainly concerns Italy, Turkey, Spain and Greece , top producers of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

The increase in the demand for aquaculture products brings with it the need to make production systems more efficient and sustainable. This entails a management and technological improvement, including:

-  selection of  natural genetic resistance of trout  by testing the mutation 140T on MHC II gene;

 -  development of recombinant vaccine to be administered by immersion;

 -  improvement of reproductive performances exploiting trout genetic features.

The use of marker assisted selection and the development of recombinant vaccine will enhance sustainability of the farming system, mainly due to the reduction of antibiotic treatment, and of the consequent environmental contamination with antimicrobials and of the risk of antibiotic-resistance development. This approach will contribute to increase profitability, reducing direct and indirect costs related to disease control.