Proposed Activities for Koi Herpesvirus Disease
at the SEAFDEC Aquaculture Department

Kazuya Nagasawa

Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center, Aquaculture Department
Tigbauan 5021, Iloilo, Philippines

ABSTRACT

The Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC) is a regional treaty organization, which was established in 1967 to promote fisheries development in the region. Its member countries are Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Myanmar, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Lao PDR. Four departments were established to pursue the objectives of SEAFDEC. As one of the four departments, the Aquaculture Department (AQD), based in Tigbauan, Iloilo Province, Philippines was established in 1973 for aquaculture research and development.

Since April 2000, the Regional Fish Disease Project has been implemented at SEAFDEC/AQD through the Government of Japan (GOJ) Trust Fund. Under this project, research studies have been conducted on various aspects of viral, bacterial and parasitic diseases of fishes and shrimps.

In East Asia, koi herpesvirus (KHV) disease was reported from Indonesia and Taiwan in 2002. KHV infection was also found in Japan in 2003. This disease gave a serious impact on koi (=fancy carp) and common carp production in Indonesia and common carp production in Japan. Common carp is an important food resource in the rural areas of the region, and koi are internationally traded as ornamental fish among Southeast Asian countries. Under these situations, the GOJ Regional Fish Disease Project has identified KHV as a serious, new pathogen in the region and plans to work on KHV at SEAFDEC/AQD in coordination with scientists of the SEAFDEC member countries (especially Indonesia and Japan) to prevent KHV from spreading in the region. The research includes survey of the distribution of KHD in the region, standardization of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection method, characterization of the virus isolated from the region, mode of transmission of KHV, and pathophysiology of KHV-infected fish. 

To establish the fish disease quarantine and surveillance in Southeast Asia, the GOJ Regional Fish Disease Project, since 2000, has annually conducted hands-on training at SEAFDEC/AQD on viral diseases of fishes and shrimps for scientists and technical staff from the SEAFDEC member countries (except for Japan). The trainees are expected to play key roles in the diagnosis, prompt information exchange, and surveillance of fish diseases, including KHV infection, in their respective countries.

The GOJ Regional Fish Disease Project will hold a "Meeting on Transboundary Fish Diseases in Southeast Asia" in Manila in June 2004 to discuss the current fish disease surveillance practice in the region. Emphasis will be focused on experience of KHV infection and shrimp viral diseases.