This is a catfish. Researchers at Mississipi State University tested a vaccine on these fish with positive results.Scientists at the USDA have recently discovered a way to vaccinate fish against pathogens such as Streptococcus iniae and S. agalacticiae. Their motives for developing these vaccines are to promote international food safety. What they do is they modify the genetic makeup of the pathogens to make them not as dangerous and then use these pathogens to produce vaccines so they can expose the fish to low doses of the pathogen, with the hopes that they will develop immunity to it. These vaccines work the same way that human vaccines work, except that instead of injecting the fish with the vaccine, they are immersed in water that contains the vaccine.
In a trial performed by Mississippi State University, researchers used a vaccine intended to protect catfish from enteric septicemia. The results were positive, showing a 12% increase in the survival rate among this species.
I personally think this is pretty cool. I had never heard of vaccinating animals, well maybe domesticated pets, but fish? That's pretty neat. I am glad that these scientists have found a way to do this because it will definity improve our food safety. If we ingest fish that have some sort of disease, we could also possibly get sick.
1. These scientists are trying to come up with new methods or ways to vaccinate fish, besides immersing them in the water. What other ways might be possible?
2. Do you think eventually people will be vaccinating all of the animals we use as food? Will this be difficult?
3. Do you think these vaccines could possibly have a negitive effect? Explain.
http://esciencenews.com/articles/2010/10/22/vaccines.could.help.whats.ailing.fish
I also think that vaccinating fish is pretty cool. I wonder though how much this process cost and how much people really eat and get sick from fish. If people usually don't get sick from fish this vaccine seems pointless for humans. But if it is helping the species survive and if can keep a few people healthier then it is still doing good.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.thefishsite.com/articles/150/vaccines-for-fish-in-aquaculture
here is another site about the fish vaccines. It tells about how vaccines lay a large part in commercial fish farming especially salmon.
This is really interesting. I never knew that animals could be vaccinated, it really is amazing how much our knowledge of animals and vaccinations can lead us to developing things such as this. It will definitely improve our food safety, and make their survival rate go up as the article noted. It's also interesting that instead of being injected with the pathogen, they are submersed in water containing it.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.vetcare.gr/vaxine-ation_files/vax_inj_2.jpg
The link is a picture of a fish being vaccinated like humans are, being injected with the pathogen.