Document Type : Review Article
Authors
1 Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahrekord University, Shahrekord, Iran
2 Iranian Shrimp Research Center, Iranian Fisheries Science Research Institute, Agricultural Research, Education & Extension Organization (AREEO), Bushehr, Iran
10.30473/eab.2025.73409.1977
Abstract
In aquaculture, disease prevention through elimination, eradication and cultural control are inefficient, costly and unstable solutions. Breeding programs for genetic improvement of disease resistance lead to a long-term sustainable disease control. Mass selection of survivors in contaminated ponds is a classic method for improving disease resistance. In this method, by collecting survivors from virus-infected pools and selecting after several generations, an increase in survival rate is created. Another method is to use a disease challenge test, which exposes different families to live virus and selects the best families. Modern genetic approaches for disease resistance include the use of microsatellite markers, Genome-wide association studies (GWAS), Genomic selection (GS) and CRISPR, which are reviewed in this article. Microsatellite markers are used for genotyping of breeding stock and monitor the genetic diversity of populations. GWAS to survey genotype-phenotype association lead to the identification of genomic regions affecting disease resistance. GS is the most advanced method for use in aquaculture breeding programs. CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing and transgenesis by antimicrobial peptide genes (AMGs) have been found to be effective on the innate immune system of fish. Development of lines resistant to specific diseases and crossing them to produce hybrids are available solutions, and producing disease-resistant transgenic fish is a prospect for improving disease resistance in aquatic animals.
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