Aquaculture for all

Unlocking DNA for Disease Resistant Carp

Biosecurity Welfare Breeding & genetics +7 more

POLAND - Carp is mainly farmed in Eastern Europe. However, carp farmed in semi-intensive ponds, are prey to a range of viruses, bacteria and parasites.

The Polish Institute of Ichthyobiology and Aquaculture in Golysz and two PhD students from Wageningen University looked for genetic selection methods for obtaining resistant carp, reports AllAboutFeed.

According to the online magazine, Rakus’s compatriot Patrycia Jurecka looked for genetic variation in carp to raise their resistance to the blood parasite Trypanoplasma borrel. This parasite competes with the carp for iron. The transport protein transferrin, which provides the fish’s cells with iron, plays a key role in this.

Jurecka has not yet found the ultimate marker for optimal immunity to the blood parasite, but her research does lay the foundations for the Polish institute to build on in breeding resistant carp, says AllAboutFeed.

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