The shrimp aquaculture industry faces significant challenges from disease outbreaks that reduce global shrimp production by 20–40%, causing annual economic losses of approximately €7 billion. These diseases, including White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV), Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP), and Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV), devastate shrimp populations, disrupt supply chains, and disproportionately impact small-scale farmers in developing regions, threatening livelihoods and intensifying poverty. As global demand for sustainable seafood rises, there is an urgent need for innovative, scalable, and eco-friendly disease management solutions to safeguard shrimp production, enhance food security, and support rural economies.
ViAqua has developed an innovative RNAi feed-based platform designed to address three primary pathogens affecting the shrimp aquaculture industry. The product combines double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) with a carrier molecule, creating a delivery system that allows dsRNA to be administered orally and efficiently absorbed by shrimp cells.
Oral trials against IMNV and WSSV were conducted at IMAQUA (Belgium). The trials lasted for 21 days and demonstrated relative percent survival (%RPS) between 77% to 40% depending on the treatment dose.
The oral trial against EHP infection was conducted at ShrimpVet (Vietnam), lasted for 52 days, and demonstrated an improvement in growth performance compared to the positive control group, with higher biomass gain, improved FCR, and more uniform size.
ViAqua’s oral platform represents a breakthrough in aquaculture disease management by providing a robust, scalable, and environmentally responsible solution that addresses all major viral threats to shrimp health.