NUS scientists have developed an oral vaccine for fish, a groundbreaking innovation in aquaculture. This vaccine is designed to protect fish from the deadly nervous necrosis virus (NNV), which poses a significant threat to the aquaculture industry. The vaccine's unique approach involves using Virus-Like Particles (VLPs) and Lactococcus lactis, a safe bacterium, to deliver the vaccine orally. This method is more practical and efficient than traditional vaccination, which involves injecting fish individually, causing stress and being impractical for large-scale implementation. The vaccine's effectiveness is remarkable, inducing two-times the levels of antibodies and neutralising antibodies compared to feeding the fish purified VLPs directly. It also reduces brain viral load by about 300 times after exposure to NNV, effectively protecting fish from the lethal effects of the disease. The vaccine can be applied to economically important fish species such as grouper and European and Asian seabass. The research team has filed three patents and plans to collaborate with industrial partners for field trials. This development is a significant step forward in disease management in aquaculture, offering a promising strategy for preventing NNV infection and strengthening the aquaculture industry.
