The discussion is the latest part of the MedAID Health Forum, which was conceived as a communication platform between field diagnosticians, laboratories and relevant disease management authorities in Mediterranean mariculture. The first such forum, which took place in July, focused on Sparicotylosis and was followed by a discussion on viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER/VNN) during the autumn.
The forum on tenacibaculosis will cover infection of marine fish species with bacteria from the genus Tenacibaculum. Tenacibaculum species are opportunistic pathogens that primarly cause extensive skin lesions and gill abrasion, and subsequent systemic infections. Previously known as flexibacteriosis the disease affects a variety of marine fish species and its presence can cause over 30 percent mortalities.
It generally affects fish up to 100 grams and the prevalence and intensity of infections vary in relation to environmental parameters and rearing conditions. They are also influenced by handling, mechanical lesions or stress and interfering parasitic infestations.
If you want to know more about Tenacibaculosis, visit the MedAID blog and read the Mini-review written by Alain Le Breton. To learn more about all aspects of this devastating disease join the MedAID Health Forum discussion which will be moderated by Jean-Francois Bernardet, INRA, Centre de Recherches Virologie et Immunologie Moleculaire, France and Alain Le Breton, VET'EAU,France.
Objectives of the discussion
- To exchange the latest scientific data with health experts dealing with the problem caused by tenacibaculosis in farmed fish.
- To help farmers understand the circumstances for clinical disease outbreaks.
- To help farmers implement sanitary measures aiming to prevent tenacibaculosis.
- To share farmers’ tips on how to deal with Tenacibaculum infected fish.
Process proposed to focus the discussion
The farm health experts are encouraged to share their valuable practical knowledge; the current prevention strategy should be profoundly evaluated and analysed.
Topics for discussion
- Epidemiology of tenacibaculosis in seabass and sea bream.
- Sanitary regulations.
- Best practices for the prevention of Tenacibaculum infection.
- Diagnostic methods in different labs.
Those who wish to take part must visit the MedAIDHealth Forum registration site. Registration is fully anonymous and it is impossible to disclose the identity of participants if they register using a nickname.
The organisers encourage all those who want to ask the questions and are not feeling comfortable in English to do it in the mother tongue whether it is Spanish, Italian, French, Greek, Turkish, Croatian or Arabic. MedAID partners will assist in translation.
