Shrimp aquaculture provides seafood, employment and economic activity around the world, but disease remains a major challenge. White spot syndrome virus (WSSV), the pathogen responsible for white spot disease, is among the most serious threats. It can spread rapidly and cause severe mortality, disrupting production cycles, increasing costs and creating uncertainty for farmers and supply chains.
With no simple treatment available, disease management relies on prevention, biosecurity, surveillance and research into ways to improve shrimp resilience.
No single intervention addresses every aspect of WSSV risk. The industry is therefore pursuing several complementary approaches:
· Strengthening biosecurity and disease surveillance: Preventing WSSV introduction remains a priority. Measures may include screening broodstock and post-larvae, monitoring water and incoming stock, controlling animal and equipment movements, and using appropriate sanitation and disinfection procedures.
· Improving the resilience of farmed shrimp: Selective breeding offers another avenue for reducing disease-related losses. Research has demonstrated that genetic selection can improve survival following experimental WSSV exposure in whiteleg shrimp.
· Investigating feed-based and other potential interventions: Researchers and commercial developers are exploring functional feeds, nutritional strategies, immunostimulants and candidate antiviral approaches to support shrimp health or reduce the impact of infection.
Controlled experimental research helps assess these approaches.
Challenge studies can support three key areas:
· Evaluating potential health products
· Assessing nutritional strategies
· Supporting breeding programs
A well-designed study needs an appropriate experimental model, suitable controls, defined endpoints and reliable diagnostic methods. Together, these elements help researchers distinguish meaningful results from normal variation.
Onda now offers WSSV challenge trials through its collaborating facility in Brazil.
These trials give companies and researchers an opportunity to investigate candidate approaches under controlled conditions. Study design can be tailored to the research question, whether the aim is to evaluate a health product, test a nutritional strategy or support a breeding program.
For businesses investing in shrimp health, controlled trials can help assess promising approaches before moving to further development or commercial evaluation.
Progress against WSSV depends on collaboration among producers, researchers, feed manufacturers, diagnostic developers and animal health companies. Challenge studies contribute by testing potential solutions and building evidence to guide next steps.
Through our challenge-trial capability in Brazil, we are helping support this collaborative research effort.
Planning a shrimp research project? Contact Onda to discuss your study objectives and how we can help evaluate your candidate solution.