USE OF COMBINATIONS OF IHNV SUBUNIT CLONES TO PROVIDE ENHANCED IMMUNITY IN TROUT

A MOLECULAR SUBUNIT VACCINE TO INFECTIOUS HEMATOPOIETIC NECROSIS VIRUS (IHNV) BASED ON THE VIRAL GLYCOPROTEIN GENE WAS RECENTLY DEVELOPED AND SHOWN TO BE EFFICACIOUS IN PROTECTING SALMONID SPECIES AGAINST VIRAL OUTBREAKS. ALTHOUGH THE VACCINE PRODUCES IMMUNITY AGAINST A NUMBER OF VIRAL OUTBREAKS. ALTHOUGH THE VACCINE PRODUCES IMMUNITY AGAINST A NUMBER OF VIRAL ISOLATES, IT DOES NOT PROVIDE IMMUNITY AGAINST EXPOSURE TO VERY HIGH VIRAL CONCENTRATIONS OR TO HIGHLY VIRULENT VIRAL ISOLATES. THE RELATIVE EFFICACYOF OTHER SUBUNITS OF THE VIRAL GLYCOPROTEIN GENE TO SERVE ASVACCINES WILL FIRST BE DETERMINED. SUBSEQUENTLY THE USE OF VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF THE VIRAL SUBUNITS OF THE GLYCOPROTEIN GENE WILL BE EVALUATED FOR THEIR ABILITY TO PROVIDE INCREASED IMMUNITY AGAINST THE HIGHLY VIRULENT ISOLATES. FINALLY, USE OF THE VIRAL NUCLEOPROTEIN AS AN ADJUVANT TO THE GLYCOPROTEIN SUBUNIT VACCINE HAS BEEN SHOWN TO STIMULATE THE IMMUNE RESPONSE ABOVE THE LEVELS INDUCED BYTHE GLYCOPROTEIN SUBUNIT VACCINE ALONE. VARIOUS COMBINATIONS OF SUBUNITS FROM BOTH THE VIRAL GLYCOPROTEIN GENE AND NUCLEOPROTEIN GENE WILL BE EVALUATED FOR THEIR ABILITY TO CONFER INCREASED IMMUNITY. IT IS EXPECTED THAT ONE OR MORE COMBINATIONS OF MOLECULAR SUBUNITS FROM THE IHNV GLYCOPROTEIN AND NUCLEOPROTEIN GENES WILL RESULT IN INCREASED IMMUNITY ABOVE LEVELS WHICH HAVE ALREADY BEEN DEMONSTRATED FOR A VACCINE CONSISTING OF A SINGLE GLYCOPROTEIN SUBUNIT. THE MOST EFFICACIOUS COMBINATION(S) WILL BE DEVELOPED COMMERCIALLY AS ANTI-IHNV VACCINES FOR USE BY PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HATCHERY OPERATIONS AND BY THE AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY. THE DEMONSTRATION OF THE EFFICACY OF THE MOLECULAR SUBUNIT VACCINE APPROACH SHOULD RESULT IN SERIOUS CONSIDERATION OF THIS TECHNOLOGY FOR APPLICATIONS TO OTHER AQUACULTURAL DISEASES AND IN OTHER ANIMAL FIELDS AS WELL.