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On-farm performance of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) selectively bred for resistance to bacterial cold water disease: Effect of rearing environment on survival phenotype

Author:
Gregory D. Wiens, Scott E. LaPatra, Timothy J. Welch, Jason P. Evenhuis, Caird E. Rexroad, Timothy D. Leeds
Source:
Aquaculture 2013 v.388-391 pp. 128-136
ISSN:
0044-8486
Subject:
Flavobacterium psychrophilum, Oncorhynchus mykiss, body weight, breeding, cold, disease resistance, farms, genetic improvement, genetic lines, mortality, phenotype, trout
Abstract:
Selective fish breeding programs for disease resistance comprise an increasingly important role in aquaculture production and offer an additional management tool for reducing bacterial-caused disease losses. Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) is one of the most frequent causes of elevated mortality in juvenile salmonids, and we have selectively bred three genetic lines of rainbow trout for varying resistance to BCWD. These lines, designated ARS-Fp-R (resistant), ARS-Fp-C (control) and ARS-Fp-S (susceptible), differ in survival following standardized laboratory challenges with the causative agent of BCWD, Flavobacterium psychrophilum. This study evaluated survival of the genetic lines in laboratory challenges and in a production environment. Evaluations of disease resistance demonstrated a reproducible, 30% or greater, survival difference between ARS-Fp-R and ARS-Fp-S lines at body weights ranging from 0.7 to 13g. Farm trials were performed to evaluate survival over an 80-day growth period starting after the trout began feeding. After a BCWD epizootic, the ARS-Fp-R line displayed significantly greater risk-adjusted survival (95.7%) than the ARS-Fp-S line (91.2%, P<0.0001) and the ARS-Fp-C line (92.4%, P<0.0001). Phenotype stability in farm-trial fish was also evaluated using laboratory challenges. The ARS-Fp-R line consistently displayed a higher, but not always statistically significant, survival percentage compared to the other lines and the data suggest that the magnitude of the survival phenotype difference is sensitive to environmental influence. In summary, the overall greater survival of the ARS-Fp-R line provides evidence of genetic improvement under production conditions.
Agid:
56836
Handle:
10113/56836