Responsible & Sustainable Aquaculture
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eDNA and water quality tests to pre-empt disease outbreaks Research out of Hong Kong which combines environmental DNA testing with water quality monitoring is showing promise as a method to predict risk of disease in aquaculture operations. by Helen Taylor
D
r Giana Bastos Gomes is not your typical veterinarian. Instead of caring for cats and dogs, she looks after fish, specifically how to prevent disease outbreaks within aquaculture farms. At City University of Hong Kong, Giana is conducting groundbreaking research on early identification of disease in fish and shrimp using environmental DNA (eDNA) quantification paired with water quality monitoring.
The challenge
Disease prevention is a common struggle among fish and shrimp farmers worldwide. It has been estimated that diseases are responsible for up to 40% of production losses (depending on species and system), valued at more than USD100 billion per year. The challenge, says Giana, is that by the time fish are showing signs of disease, it is usually too late to save them and the stock is lost. Also, many of the chemicals used to treat disease outbreaks are detrimental to the animals and to the environment. So, a tool that could reliably predict the risk of a disease outbreak in time to prevent it would be invaluable.
Dr Giana Bastos Gomes is Assistant Professor in aquatic animal health at City University of Hong Kong. As part of her doctorate at James Cook University (JCU) in Townsville, Australia, she developed innovative approaches for the early detection of pathogens in aquaculture. This new approach is based on eDNA to detect genetic material of pathogens in water and integrates this data with water quality information from aquaculture farms. In 2016 Giana received two awards: “Science and Innovation Award, and Minister Award�, which recognises the best emerging young talent in rural Australian industries. Since graduating in Veterinary Medicine in 2003 in Brazil, Giana has dedicated her professional career to aquatic animal health and biosecurity within the aquaculture industry in Brazil, Australia, Singapore and more recently in Hong Kong.
July/August 2020 AQUA Culture Asia Pacific
