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Thursday, January 24, 2002, 02:30 (GMT + 9)
There's good news for shrimp farmers troubled
by large-scale losses with the announcement that the International
Agricultural Research Centre has developed an antibody capable of
detecting the infection of virus.
White Spot, a very critical infectious disease, has wreaked havoc in
China, South Asia, and in South and Central America. It is so virulent
that some say the entire ecosystem could be destroyed. What's worse,
the method used to diagnose the infection at the moment is not very
practical as it's expensive to investigate genes.
The International Agricultural Research Centre's new method involves
inoculating a mouse with the virus to create antibodies. Of the antibodies,
the three, which show the strongest reaction against the virus, are
applied for diagnosis. The method is still being tested and will hopefully
offer a practical solution to diagnosis.
A Chinese researcher has already discovered the genome of this disease.
Coupled with the development of the new diagnosis method, it is hoped
that White Spot will be eradicated in the future.
By Haruo Chiba
FIS Japan
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