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1 2 An algae oral vaccine for prawns to prevent deadly white spot syndrome virus nm Penaeid prawns or penaeid shrimps refer to the species of prawns of the most economic importance, such as the whiteleg shrimp, Atlantic white shrimp, Indian prawn, and tiger prawn. Commercial farming of penaeid prawns has increasingly become a significant source of edible prawns, particularly for preventing wild populations from overfishing. However, in the crowded condition of aquaculture, sea animals are susceptible to various infections. In prawns, white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a highly lethal and contagious pathogenic virus, and has caused several The immunization in shrimps and production of bioactive agents and vaccines against WSSV have been protected via the filing of Malaysia patents. outbreaks with significant losses in most Asian countries since the disease was first reported in 1992. For instance, it has virtually led to a collapse of the shrimp farming industry in China in 1993, followed by outbreaks in Japan, Korea, Thailand, India and Malaysia. Since 1995, the disease has spread to USA, Central and South America, and Philippines. Currently, it is known to be present in all prawn farming markets except Australia (Wikipedia). WSSV is highly virulent resulting in a mortality rate of nearly 100% within days in commercial shrimp farms. It causes white spots of 0.5 to 2.0 mm in diameter on the shell of the carapace, appendages and cuticle of infected shrimps, and is transmitted directly The present innovation has developed a new algae oral vaccine via oral ingestion or from infected mother prawns. Unfortunately, there are currently no available treatments for WSSV besides disinfectants, which are widely used in prawn farms. The inventors are seeking for interested parties to license the technology, which is commercial ready. against white spot syndrome virus, which can cause a mortality rate of 100% within days in commercial shrimp farms. The technology is potentially very easy and cheap to implement, and offers a significant commercial value to the aquaculture industry. The recombinant DNA technology incorporates several DNA sequences of WSSV into the algae genome; expression of the viral protein produces antigens that trigger an immune response in prawns against WSSV. The new algae oral vaccine against WSSV offers the following benefits: • High potential: algae are commonly used as feed in aquaculture • Feasible: algae have been proven as biofactory platforms for other bioactive compounds • Cost effective: algae or microalgae can be easily grown in photobioreactors with high yields • Easy to scale up: photobioreactors can be used as large scale facilities, or the technology can be used as a direct addition to feed extrusion processes J The global shrimp farming industry is estimated at over US10 billion, as a result of over 1 million tons of production worldwide since 2000. Due to the high mortality rate caused by the WSSV infection, WSSV is believed to lead to a significant loss of US1 billion every year. In Malaysia, 85% of prawn farms in Sarawak had been closed due to prawn diseases and low profitability. This technology would be of great interest locally as well as internationally, as it offers a feasible and easy to administer solution to prevent this deadly disease and dramatically improve the commercial farming of edible prawns. © 2014 PlaTCOM Ventures. All rights reserved. E: [email protected] T: +603 8319 3116) www.platcomventures.com