23 July 2024 - Researcher from the Institute of Bioscience, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Associate Professor Dr. Ina Salwany Md Yasin has developed an innovation of oral vaccines for fish, namely ViVac and AquaBooster, designed for prevention of vibriosis and streptococcus diseases in marine and freshwater fishes. She mentioned that the newly developed vaccines, which can be administered orally at an average rate of 4% of the fish's body weight, are recommended for fish farming before the summer season, typically during the endemic phase in fish farm areas.

"The vaccination regimen consists of three phases: the first phase involves initial oral vaccination of fish, the second phase includes booster doses in the second week, and the third phase completes with the final booster dose in the sixth week," she said. Furthermore, she added that oral vaccination using ViVac in marine fish can stimulate mucosal and systemic immune responses, preventing infections of Vibrio harveyi, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. alginolyticus, with an average of 80% fish survival until reaching market weight. "Using AquaBooster vaccine in freshwater fish has shown high protective efficacies against S. agalactiae (RPS, 80%) and A. hydrophila (RPS, 90%), as well as partial cross-protection against S. iniae (RPS, 63%) and Aeromonas veronii (RPS, 60%)," she further explained.

The vaccine innovations have been tested in both laboratory and field environments, demonstrating high quality, safety for fish without side effects, and the ability to produce specific antibodies after immunization. ViVac has also shown high protection in fish with RPS 70-85% post-infection with virulent Vibrio spp. in experimental conditions. The oral vaccine was further tested for field effectiveness, showing an 80% survival rate in hybrid grouper fish (Epinephelus fuscoguttus × Epinephelus lanceolatus) at farms in Langkawi and Pulau Ketam in Malaysia, as well as Tanjung Pinang in Indonesia. In addition, AquaBooster vaccine also exhibited higher lysozyme activity and IgM antibody levels in serum, intestinal lavage, and skin mucus of vaccinated fish compared to controls, proving the effectiveness of the food-based bivalent vaccine in enhancing immunological responses against streptococcal and aeromonas agents.

This developed vaccine is suitable for small-scale farmers in Southeast Asia, not only in Malaysia but also in other countries, such as Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand, where high vaccine and labor costs are prohibitive, and specialized equipment for injection is required. Large-scale fish producers can also benefit from this food-based vaccine as it effectively reduces stress in fish farming and lowers handling costs during vaccination. Moreover, this vaccine promises better economic benefits and higher profits for fish farmers, serving as an alternative to dangerous antibiotics and becoming essential in aquaculture economics. Commercialisation of ViVac and AquaBooster innovations has been initiated by Bio-Angle Vacs Sdn Bhd (BAV) for commercial purposes and to prepare the product for GMP-certified vaccine production recognized by regulatory agencies.

Date of Input: 01/08/2024 | Updated: 01/08/2024 | azah