Indian Immunologicals Limited partners with ICAR-CIBA for development of fish vaccine

Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) has announced a partnership with the Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (CIBA), Chennai, an Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) institute. This collaboration aims to develop a recombinant monovalent viral nervous necrosis (VNN) vaccine for finfish, a technology developed by CIBA.

IIL entered the aquaculture sector in October 2022, introducing products for pond management and fish or shrimp gut management. The company has since expanded its efforts to include the commercial development of fish vaccines in collaboration with ICAR’s Central Institute of Fisheries Education (CIFE), Mumbai, and the Central Institute of Freshwater Aquaculture (CIFA), Bhubaneswar. India is the third-largest fish producer globally, with over 65 percent of its fish production coming from inland fisheries and aquaculture. However, the aquaculture industry faces significant challenges due to diseases, which result in annual global losses exceeding $10 billion.

Viral nervous necrosis (VNN), also known as viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER), is a viral disease that affects marine, brackishwater, and freshwater fish species. It can cause up to 100 percent mortality in larval and early juvenile fish. Adult fish may carry the virus asymptomatically, transmitting it to offspring through eggs and gonadal fluids.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr K Anand Kumar, Managing Director, IIL said, “IIL is the first in India to get to fish vaccines. We are covering different kind of fishes (fresh water, brackish water, etc.) and culture conditions (pond, cage culture, etc.) and are aware of the challenges associated with being the first, having been in similar situations for many other livestock vaccines. We are working at multiple fronts in defining pathways for commercial development of fish vaccines in India”. 

Dr Priyabrata Pattnaik, Deputy Managing Director, Indian Immunologicals Limited added “IIL as a leading “One Health” organisation is committed to developing vaccines for different fish pathogens with a long-term strategic objective of reducing use of antibiotics in aquaculture there by antimicrobial resistance in environment”.

Dr Kuldeep K. Lal, Director, ICAR-CIBA said “The VNN vaccine developed by CIBA can prevent vertical transmission of the disease to the offsprings and prevent mortality in fingerlings. The vaccine can play a significant role in controlling the loss due to VNN in India and other Asian countries”.

Currently, aquaculture in India experiences economic losses from infections caused by various pathogens. These infections are managed with anti-infectives and conventional measures, which offer varying degrees of success. As concerns about antimicrobial resistance and the demand for chemical-free food products grow, there is an increasing need for effective control measures. At present, no commercial fish vaccines are available in India to prevent aquaculture infections.