Tigbauan, Iloilo - A vaccine is being field tested against a virus that causes one of the world's most lethal fish diseases that wipes out entire stocks. "The emergence of fish diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, and other parasites is one of the downsides of the booming aquaculture industry," said Dr. Joebert D. Toledo who heads the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) Aquaculture Department here. While a vaccine is also being developed in Japan and Taiwan, the SEAFDECvaccine is being tested in broodstock, or breeders, as an attempt to produce offspring that are free from VCN, explained Dr. Rolando V. Pakingking Jr., a virologist at SEAFDEC's Fish Health Section.

Icamina, P. M. (2011, September 9). SEAFDEC develops vaccine against devastating fish virus. Malaya Business Insight, pp. A9, A10.