Tuesday, 9 October 2006
Mr Alex Jan, International Development Officer, BioShield
A new vaccine has been developed by researchers in Thailand to boost shrimp immunity to the deadly white spot syndrome virus (WSSV).
An antibiotic treatment is available, but leaves a residue in shrimp meat, nitrofuran, which is considered a carcinogen and effectively bans shrimp export to the US, EU and Japanese markets.
According to Mr Alexander Jan, International Business Development Officer for BioShield, laboratory trials have proven the new vaccine is an effective treatment to the disease that can decimate a prawn pond population within seven days
"The vaccine is the first all-natural, food-safe additive that builds shrimp immunity during their growth stage," Mr Jan said.
"The vaccine has been proven effective as an inoculation to white spot virus in laboratory trials, and is now ready for full-scale testing and commercialisation."
Mr Jan said that a WSSV outbreak in Brazil slashed total shrimp production by 30% in 2005, and over the last decade has cost the global shrimp industry approximately 30 billion USD. At this point in time, Australia is free from the disease.
"There is no white spot syndrome virus in Australia and our product is a vaccine, so that is a great advantage for Australian shrimp farmers.
"With antibiotics once you know they are infected, you throw in the antibiotics, and you will have about 50% success rate but you will have the residue which you can't get rid of. When you have farmed prawns it means the stock is useless," Mr Jan said.
"So with BioShield it can be added to shrimp feed and will build up immunity to white spot virus. Tests have shown that there is up to 80% effectiveness when the vaccine is used."
A finalist in UQ Business School's Enterprize competition, BioShield will find out on Friday 13 October if they have secured the $100 000 seed funding they need to push through the field trials and build the business.
Other finalists are GetCracking (concrete roads will be cheaper to build and last longer), Imprezzeo (image recognition software), PepFactants (technology break-through for industries using emulsions and foams), Ausonex (hearing test instrument that doubles speed of testing), Neutropharma (transfusible neutrophils), and LanguageMap (cost-efficient way of testing English language skills).
To secure your place at Enterprize Pitch Day on Friday 13 October, contact Amy Hsylop a.hyslop@business.uq.edu.au
Media enquiries:
Cathy Stacey
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Phone (07) 3365 6179
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Fiona Sutton
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Email media@business.uq.edu.au
