Kiwi scientists are developing a world-first vaccine to protect oysters against a deadly disease that has crippled our multi-million-dollar industry.
Pacific oyster farmers have been struggling to stay afloat since the herpes virus began killing the shellfish in 2010, wiping out about 70 percent of their stock.
But now, help is finally on the horizon. Previously, a vaccine was thought impossible for shellfish, and then a breakthrough was made.
"Very recently, research revealed that shellfish can have an immune memory, so when exposed one time to a pathogen they respond better a second time," said shellfish physiologist Lizenn Delisle.
The discovery has opened the door for scientists to develop a vaccine. Earlier this year Nelson's Cawthron Institute was granted $1 million over three years from the Government's Endeavour Fund to create a practical vaccine.
Delisle and her colleague Julien Vignier are leading the project. They've just finished phase one, where they screened 45 possible candidates, and narrowed it down to 10.
"So the idea now is to vaccinate the oysters, infect them with the virus and see how much better they do - or not," said Vignier, a shellfish biologist.
"We're using old-fashioned technology, it's just that we are inactivating the virus, and exposing them to the disease," said Delisle.
They've produced 20,000 baby oysters, known as spat, from the institute's hatchery for the project, as the vaccine is absorbed by them eating it at a young age.
"Oysters are filter feeders, they feed on algae so we will source some algae, let them filter it and they will absorb it and be vaccinated. So far so good, we are having very promising results," said Vignier.
Pacific oysters are the world's most popular and valuable oyster species, and now the race is on to see which country can create the first-ever shellfish vaccine.
"There's a team in France working on a similar topic, but no it's never been done. We see a big worldwide Pacific oyster industry opportunity, so it's huge," he said.
And the world really is their oyster, because the vaccine they develop will likely protect other types of shellfish as well.
"The concept we are developing can be extended to other diseases in aquaculture shellfish," said Delisle.
