Coldwater disease vaccine comprising an attenuated flavobacterium psychrophilum strain

Abstract

Bacterial cold-water disease (BCWD) vaccines for fish comprising, consisting of, or consisting essentially of, a live, attenuated Flavobacterium psychrophilum strain derived from a US149 strain and/or a US063 (ST278) strain, particularly formulated for fish of the Salmo and Salvelinus genera are disclosed. Disclosed embodiments also concern isolated, livem nonattenuated or attenuated Flavobacterium psychrophilum strains derived from an unattenuated strain having a cumulative percent mortality (CPM) in fish species in the Salmo and Salvelinus genera challenged with the strain of 40% or greater prior to attenuation. Treating BCWD comprises administering an effective amount of a disclosed vaccine to fish species primarily of the Salmo and Salvelinus genera. Making a BCWD vaccine comprises first identifying a highly virulent Flavobacterium psychrophilum bacterial strain for a target genus or species of interest, attenuating the highly virulent Flavobacterium psychrophilum bacterial strain, and then using the attenuated strain to produce a vaccine.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.