Pre-emptive and non-invasive pathogen diagnostics to prevent the spread of shellfish disease (RD135)

Project Outcome:

Disease is the single biggest issue facing oyster aquaculture for food and restoration. Current measures to stop the spread of oyster diseases in the UK rely entirely on the prevention of animal movement from disease positive to disease free sites. However, these measures are not entirely successful and have seen recurrent failures in recent years, resulting in gradual spread of pathogens across Europe. This project demonstrated the ability and sensitivity of a new non-invasive diagnostic process, which can be used prior to moving shellfish between sites. We have shown that it is possible to detect Bonamia ostreae and Vibrio species DNA directly from oyster faeces. Moreover, this can be done directly in the field, at aquaculture sites, using highly portable battery powered equipment. For Bonamia in particular, this process is very sensitive; we can reliably detect a 2% infection rate in samples as large as 150 animals. This process has been tested in the field, where it retains its sensitivity and specificity. This will enable positive action beyond legislative requirements, to keep oyster farms and restoration sites disease-free and prevent further disease spread. It could revolutionise the way in which we test for Bonamia and prevent the movement of infected animals. This methodology delivers a scale of effective and timely testing and disease control unachievable with previous technology.

For more on this project’s previous work, see here.