Immunostimulants for protection against bacterial infection in cultured yellowtail kingfish
PhD candidate: Luke Pilmer
Photobacterium damselae subspecies piscicida (Pdp) is considered one of the most dangerous and economically important bacterial diseases of cultured yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi). I will be investigating the efficacy of feed supplements to boost the immune system of fish and provide resistance to infection with Pdd and other pathogens. The first step is to develop an antibacterial assay to determine the killing strength of YTK serum on Pdp, which will be used as an indicator of the ability of the fish to overcome the bacteria when challenged. Following the development of this assay, I plan to screen a variety of immunostimulants to determine which can help improve the immune response of YTK. The immunostimulants which show most promise will then be investigated in more detail to determine their mode of action and their efficacy when fish are challenged with Pdp.
