An assessment of health management and biosecurity procedures in marine fish farming in Spain

Marine fish farming in Spain has experienced problems of performance due to losses caused by infectious diseases. Biosecurity and health management are identified by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) as current priorities for proper aquaculture governance. However, they both transcend the responsibility of farmers and require significant resources, concerted action and cooperation. This study presents the analysis of biosecurity practices on marine fish farms, through a questionnaire-based survey on biosecurity procedures and an analysis of health management practices for different stakeholders. The Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) technique was implemented, which identified the important threats and weaknesses faced by the sector, such as the risk of direct disease transmission between farms, the high likelihood of importing diseases through juvenile shipments, the chronic lack of communication between stakeholders, and the deficient coordination of health strategies. Strengths included awareness of prevention measures and the availability of expertize of health experts at most levels. On the other hand, the availability of experts together with the need to adapt governance to the current production systems were seen as opportunities. Health management measures themselves were actually already found to be adapted to the type of production but they varied between companies (i.e. categorization and diagnosis of mortalities). Nevertheless, the quality of expertize along the value chain provided by private and public laboratories, research institutes, Health Protection Groups, companies and veterinarians was noteworthy. However, there was still a need for all stakeholders involved in marine fish health to improve diagnostics, provide epidemiological information, biosecurity and prevention measures, as well as to promote transparency for better health governance

A mortality event of the venerid bivalve Callista chione (Linnaeus, 1758) in a hatchery system. A case study

Abnormal mortality of the smooth venus clam (Callista chione) was encountered when conditioning these clams in a hatchery system. A histopathological analysis was performed to establish the causes of this mortality episode. Our results showed an increase in rickettsia-like bacteria infection intensity between the individuals collected at the start of the conditioning in the hatchery and those collected during the mortality episode. Husbandry stress most likely increased disease susceptibility and progression in these clams. Rickettsia-like colonies were observed in large numbers in the gills of all individuals examined. Nematopsis sp. spores and rod-shaped basophilic bacteria could also been seen in some of the individuals examined. Microbiological analysis of clam tissue did not reveal the presence of any potentially pathogenic bacteria and all the clams were shown to be free of Perkinsus sp. parasites. The conditioning protocol was adapted from those used for other venerid clams due to the lack of data on this species. These findings highlight the need to perform further studies to evaluate the optimal parameters for C. chione broodstock conditioning

Survey on laboratories and consultants working in the diagnostics of European seabass and gilthead seabream diseases: preliminary results

European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) are prevailing species in Mediterranean marine finfish aquaculture, and despite an increasing demand of the global markets for high-quality seafood, production and technical performance of these two species in the EU has stagnated over the last few years. Two EU Horizon 2020 projects, MedAID and PerformFISH were launched in 2017 to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of the Mediterranean marine fish aquaculture sector. Since the impact of diseases has been one of the factors attributed to the stagnation, both projects envisaged that the concept of healthy fish was a prerequisite for sustainable and profitable aquaculture. A key element of disease surveillance and health management is the availability of fast, reliable, efficient and validated diagnostic techniques capable of detecting the presence of pathogens and timely diagnosis of diseases in fish stocks. Collaborative activities between both consortia launched specific activities to identify all actors involved in diagnostics and to evaluate their diagnostic capacities. An online “Questionnaire on diagnostic capacities in the Mediterranean basin” was carried out. The results obtained showed disproportionate diagnostic capacity between European and non-European Mediterranean countries. European countries in general showed a high level of diagnostic capacity with many advanced or specialised labs dealing with the main diseases of concern for sea bass and sea bream. There was evidence of lower diagnostic capacities in non-European Mediterranean countries in contrast with their high degree of production, which poses a significant regional risk considering the important movement of juveniles in the region. These findings indicate the necessity to address the health management in the region in a more holistic, cooperative and harmonised way. An important finding was a lack of capacity to diagnose viral diseases although VNN has been identified to be the main health threat.Efforts should be engaged in capacity building in the countries missing particular techniques and improvement and training is a priorty. For this purpose, national focal points should be established to create an international network aimed at improving and harmonising all future activities in the field of diagnostics of Mediterranean fish diseases.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Single-Tube HNB-Based Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for the Robust Detection of the Ostreid herpesvirus 1

The Ostreid herpesvirus 1 species affects shellfish, contributing significantly to high economic losses during production. To counteract the threat related to mortality, there is a need for the development of novel point-of-care testing (POCT) that can be implemented in aquaculture production to prevent disease outbreaks. In this study, a simple, rapid and specific colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay has been developed for the detection of Ostreid herpesvirus1 (OsHV-1) and its variants infecting Crassostrea gigas (C. gigas). The LAMP assay has been optimized to use hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB) for visual colorimetric distinction of positive and negative templates. The effect of an additional Tte UvrD helicase enzyme used in the reaction was also evaluated with an improved reaction time of 10 min. Additionally, this study provides a robust workflow for optimization of primers for uncultured viruses using designed target plasmid when DNA availability is limited.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A Single-Tube HNB-Based Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification for the Robust Detection of the Ostreid Herpesvirus 1

The Ostreid herpesvirus 1 species affects shellfish, contributing significantly to high economic losses during production. To counteract the threat related to mortality, there is a need for the development of novel point-of-care testing (POCT) that can be implemented in aquaculture production to prevent disease outbreaks. In this study, a simple, rapid and specific colorimetric loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay has been developed for the detection of Ostreid herpesvirus1 (OsHV-1) and its variants infecting Crassostrea gigas (C. gigas). The LAMP assay has been optimized to use hydroxynaphthol blue (HNB) for visual colorimetric distinction of positive and negative templates. The effect of an additional Tte UvrD helicase enzyme used in the reaction was also evaluated with an improved reaction time of 10 min. Additionally, this study provides a robust workflow for optimization of primers for uncultured viruses using designed target plasmid when DNA availability is limited.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multivariate Modelling of Pedestrian Fatality Risk Through on the Spot Accident Investigation

Pedestrians are the most vulnerable users of public roads and represent one of the largest groups of road casualties; their death rate around the world due to vehicle-pedestrian collisions is high and tending to rise. In Spain, as in other countries of the European Union, steps have been taken to reduce the number and consequences of such accidents, with encouraging results in recent years. A key to countering this concern is the accident research activity that has obtained remarkable achievements in different fields, especially when multidisciplinary approaches are taken. This paper describes the development of a multivariate model that is able to detect the most influential parameters on the consequences of vehicle-pedestrian collision and to quantify their impact on pedestrian fatality risk. First, an accident database containing detailed information and parameters of vehicle-pedestrian collisions in Madrid has been developed. The accidents were investigated on the spot by INSIA accident investigation teams and analyzed using advanced reconstruction techniques. The model was then developed with two components: (1) a classification tree that characterizes and selects the explanatory variables, identifying their interactions, and (2) a binary logistic regression to quantify the influence of each variable and interaction resulting from the classification tree. The whole model represents an important tool for identifying, quantifying and predicting the potential impact of measures aimed at reducing injuries in vehicle-pedestrian collisions

Food determines ephemerous and non-stable gut microbiome communities in juvenile wild and farmed Mediterranean fish

Novel insights were provided by contrasting the composition of wild and farmed fish gut microbiomes because the latter had essentially different environmental conditions from those in the wild. This was reflected in the gut microbiome of the wild Sparus aurata and Xyrichtys novacula studied here, which showed highly diverse microbial community structures, dominated by Proteobacteria, mostly related to an aerobic or microaerophilic metabolism, but with some common shared major species, such as Ralstonia sp. On the other hand, farmed non-fasted S. aurata individuals had a microbial structure that mirrored the microbial composition of their food source, which was most likely anaerobic, since several members of the genus Lactobacillus, probably revived from the feed and enriched in the gut, dominated the communities. The most striking observation was that after a short fasting period (86 h), farmed gilthead seabream almost lost their whole gut microbiome, and the resident community associated with the mucosa had a very much reduced diversity that was highly dominated by a single potentially aerobic species Micrococcus sp., closely related to M. flavus. The results pointed to the fact that, at least for the juvenile S. aurata studied, most of the microbes in the gut were transient and highly dependent on the feed source, and that only after fasting for at least 2 days could the resident microbiome in the intestinal mucosa be determined. Since an important role of this transient microbiome in relation to fish metabolism could not be discarded, the methodological approach needs to be well designed in order not to bias the results. The results have important implications for fish gut studies that could explain the diversity and occasional contradictory results published in relation to the stability of marine fish gut microbiomes, and might provide important information for feed formulation in the aquaculture industry.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Definition of a list of shellfish diseases to aid health management in Spain

Poster.-- 14th EAFP International conference on diseases of fish and shellfish, Prague, 14-19 September 2009An expert working group used a risk ranking technique to compile a list of shellfish disease hazards (pathogens) of relevance to Spanish aquaculture. It was possible to divide the list into three groups: I-high national risk; II-regional risk; III-low risk. The three groups were as follows: Group I (high risk) Haplosporidium nelsoni, Nocardia crassostreae (nocardiosis) and GNVD/HIVD (Iridovirus) Group II (regional risk) Haplosporidium montforti, Perkinsus mediterraneus, P. olseni/atlanticus, Marteilia refringens, Bonamia ostreae and Mikrocytos mackini Group III (low risk) Haplosporidium armoricanum, Xenohaliotis californiensis, Herpesvirus, Perkinsus marinus and Bonamia exitiosa The exercise formed part of a project concerning aquaculture health management (Jacumar-GESAC) in Spain and is being used to help define sampling plans for disease monitoring using epidemiological and risk-based criteriaN

The potential of a combination of pungent spices as a novel supplement in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) diets to aid in the strategic use of fish oil in aquafeeds: a holistic perspective

This work studied the potential of a combination of pungent spices (capsicum, black pepper, ginger, and cinnamaldehyde) to be used as a supplement in diets of gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata; 44.1 ± 4.2 g). During 90 days, fish were fed three experimental diets with low inclusion of fish oil and containing poultry fat as the main source of lipids, supplemented with graded levels of the tested supplement: 0 (control), 0.1 (SPICY0.1%), and 0.15% (SPICY0.15%). As a result, the pungent spices enhanced the growth performance, the activity of the bile-salt-activated lipase in the intestine, and decreased fat deposit levels within enterocytes. The SPICY0.1% diet reduced the feed conversion ratio and the perivisceral fat index and lipid deposits in the liver. Moreover, the ratio of docosahexaenoic acid/eicosapentaenoic acid in fillet increased in fish fed the SPICY0.1% diet, while the hepatic levels of docosahexaenoic acid and total n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids increased in fish fed the SPICY0.15% diet. Furthermore, there was an effect on the expression of some biomarkers related to lipid metabolism in 2-h postprandial fish (fasn, elovl6, scd1b, cyp7a1, lpl, and pparβ), and in 48 h fasted-fish fed with the SPICY0.1% diet, a regulation of the intestinal immune response was indicated. However, no significant differences were found in lipid apparent digestibility and proximate macronutrient composition. The spices did not affect biomarkers of hepatic or oxidative stress. No differences in microbial diversity were found, except for an increase in Simpson’s Index in the posterior intestine of fish fed the SPICY0.1% diet, reflected in the increased relative abundance of the phylum Chloroflexi and lower relative abundances of the genera Campylobacter, Corynebacterium, and Peptoniphilus. In conclusion, the supplementation of gilthead seabream diets with pungent spices at an inclusion of 0.1% was beneficial to enhance growth performance and feed utilization; reduce fat accumulation in the visceral cavity, liver, and intestine; and improve the fish health status and condition. Results suggest that the tested supplement can be used as part of a nutritional strategy to promote a more judicious use of fish oil in fish diets due to its decreasing availability and rising costs

Nurses' perceptions of aids and obstacles to the provision of optimal end of life care in ICU

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