World aquaculture contribution to high quality protein supply to the growing population is steadily on the rise. This has demanded a shift in aquaculture practice to intensify industrial aquaculture. Infectious diseases are of major concern in aquaculture production globally, and effective disease management is a key to sustainability. Increasing array of emerging, re-emerging, and zoonoses diseases in aquaculture industry not limiting to anthropogenic activities on site is of significance. A multifaceted approach in controlling disease problem and animal health management is required to address high economic losses and safety alarms. Development of efficacious and safe oral vaccines poses several challenges and on the other hand has opened immense opportunities for biotechnological approach to provide solutions to combat viral and bacterial diseases in finfish aquaculture.
Aquaculture Innovation Centre (AIC) have developed capability in multivalent oral vaccine development and conduct of animal disease challenge in determining the specific immunity and protective efficacy of vaccines and therapeutics. The team has earlier developed a bivalent oral vaccine using microalgae as a vehicle for fish iridoviral disease and demonstrated 35% protection against 80% lethal dose (LD80) challenge dose of the iridovirus strain.