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College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences

CFAES

Stress & Disease

Stress and Disease

Stress is an unavoidable component of the finfish aquaculture environment. Fish under intensive culture conditions are usually exposed to repeated acute stress, and in some instances to chronic stress due to normal husbandry practices, environmental and chemical stressors. In these cases the stress response results in adverse effects in growth, flesh quality, reproductive function and immune-suppression, which make the fish more susceptible to infectious and non-infectious diseases. The major goal of fish health research is adopting science-based research and practices that reduce and minimize stress, uphold a healthy aquatic environment, decrease disease incidence, and inhibit the spread of diseases. 

Research interests and focuses:

  •  Relationship of stress and fish disease.
  •  Stress response to various husbandry and environmental stressors in farmed fish.
  •  Gene expression patterns associated with various stressors.
  •  Probiotics and their effect to counteract and minimize stress in fish.
  •  Fish immune-modulation via temperature.
  •  Fish immune-relevant genes and their relation to stress.
  •  Maternal stress and its effect on egg characteristics in fish.
  •  Potential genetic markers of stress resistance.