Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) is a serious threat to the global tilapia aquaculture industry. Here's some additional information about TiLV:
- Symptoms and Signs
Tilapia fish infected with TiLV can exhibit symptoms such as exophthalmos and corneal opacity, pale gills, skin lesions especially around the mouth and fins, abnormal behavior such as erratic swimming, lethargy, or disorientation, loss of appetite, abdominal swelling due to fluid accumulation, pale liver tissue, and tissue inflammation.
- Transmission and Risk Factors
TiLV can be transmitted through direct contact between fish, contaminated water, and global trade of tilapia fry. Risk factors include environmental changes that can weaken the fish's immune system, such as changes in water temperature, high fish density, poor water quality, and stress on the fish.
- Prevention and Treatment
There is currently no effective treatment for TiLV. However, some prevention strategies can be implemented, such as applying strict biosecurity protocols to prevent the spread of the virus, conducting regular health monitoring to detect early symptoms, developing tilapia strains resistant to TiLV, educating and training fish farmers on disease management, and managing the aquaculture environment to reduce stress on the fish and prevent the spread of the virus.
- Economic Impact
TiLV has caused significant economic losses to the global tilapia aquaculture industry. High fish mortality and reduced production can impact protein availability for communities, fish farmer income, and local and national economic growth.
- Detection and Diagnosis
Detection and diagnosis of TiLV can be done through histopathological examination to detect lesions in fish tissue, virus isolation using cell culture, PCR testing to detect viral genetic material, and serological testing to detect antibodies against TiLV.
- Affected Countries
TiLV has been reported in several countries, including Israel, the United States, Colombia, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, Uganda, Tanzania, Peru, the Philippines, and Mexico.
- Research and Development
Research and development are ongoing to further understand TiLV and develop effective prevention and treatment strategies. Some areas of research include developing vaccines for TiLV, developing tilapia strains resistant to TiLV, researching risk factors and transmission of TiLV, and developing more accurate and rapid detection and diagnosis methods.
