Resistance to a deadly disease that is affecting the second most farmed fish in the world has been found to be mainly due to differences in genes between families of the same fish.
Resistance to a deadly disease that is affecting the second most farmed fish in the world has been found to be mainly due to differences in genes between families of the same fish.
The breakthrough could help protect stocks of Tilapia fish, which is an important food source in Africa, Asia and South America and worth nearly $10 billion to the global economy.
Since its detection in 2014, Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) has ravaged Tilapia populations in 16 countries across three continents.
Clinical signs of the virus observed in tilapia include behavioral changes, discoloration, skin hemorrhages, loss of scales, eyeball protrusion and abdominal swelling. There are currently no treatments or vaccines for TiLV.
Selective breeding
Experts believe that selective breeding of fish with the resistance genes may be one way of limiting the damage of this disease, with up to 90 per cent of fish dying once infected.
Read more at University Of Edinburgh
Image by Bishnu Sarangi from Pixabay
