Sreeja Lakshmi, a researcher in Tilapia, has been awarded a fellowship to study the development of a nano particle vaccine to be used in India's aquaculture industry.
Tilapia is a very important fish in India’s aquaculture industry. Over the past decade, the Tilapia Lake Virus has been causing havoc among producers of this fresh water fish. If one infected fish gets into the water, it takes only four to ten days for the infection to spread to the other fish,” she said.
For now there is no vaccine for this and the study will find out ways of administering it, she explained and added that if one fish gets infected almost the entire crop of fish could die. “The mortality rate due to this virus is nearly 80%,” she added.
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The fellowship has been jointly awarded by the International Development Research Centre, Canada, and International Veterinary Vaccinology Network, U.K. and was for 10 months.
Sreeja Lakshmi, who was recently appreciated by the Union Minister of State for Fisheries, would be conducting the research in association with Alagappa University.