What We Think We Know about KHV Research Worldwide?
We have been asked about the types of KHV research being done around the world. Here is a brief summary of what we think we know about KHV research worldwide that was put together by Spike Cover who is head of AKCA – Project KHV.
Vaccine Research:
Yoshimura & Miyazaki, Mie University, Japan
Aoki, Tokyo University, Japan
Perelberg & Kotler, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Israel
Levine & Shivappa, NCSU (Project KHV has sent partial funding for this project)
Ritchie, UGA (AKCA has sent past funding that resulted in a serology test for KHV antibodies)
Also there are rumors that Novartis may also be working on a vaccine
Other KHV research being done:
UC Davis, BARD grants totaling $612,000 (one is relatively new/current
research on characterizing the disease)
CEFAS, Weymouth, UK (testing, carrier and epidemiological studies)
FLI, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Insel Riems, Germany
(KHV occurrence in fish other than common carp and koi)
University of Hokkaido, Hakodate, Japan (work on sanitizing techniques for water and mud)
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Japan (complete sequencing and some analysis of the KHV genome)
Central Fish Health Laboratory, Nir David, Israel (looking at infection of other species, latency (carrier) status, serology testing)
University of Arkansas, Pine Bluff, USA (PCR testing, latency – AKCA has funded latency studies at UAPB)
University of Munich, Institute of Zoology, Fish Biology and Fish Diseases, Munich, Germany ¨(epidemiology and LAMP testing)
National Research Institute of Aquaculture (NRIA), Japan (pathology and
vertical transmission plus control with vaccination and elevated temps)
It is not easy to find projects that have the three qualifications that we need:
1) Fall within our research target goals
2) Worth the amount of money required
3) We have sufficient funds available to participate
Additional information: Project KHV is preparing a “Request for Proposal” that will solicit plans for an education program to transfer what is known, what is important but not known, and what is under study regarding KHV. Further it will provide Best Practices information on how to guard against KHV until we have an effective means to prevent the disease. We are not sure what form or forms the educational material will take just yet.
I can’t share everything I know about all this stuff as some of it is confidential. But work is being done as we speak and Project KHV is actively and aggressively seeking ways to be part of the solution. We have just recently received a second proposal for a DNA vaccine.
All of us involved in Project KHV wish we had more time (and energy) to keep everyone posted regarding what AKCA – Project KHV is reviewing/working on. We realize that many folks want to know what is happening so we put together this message.