Programme

Ha Thanh Dong, Thawatchai Chaijarasphong, Andrew Barnes, Jerome Delamare-Deboutteville, Peiyu Alison Lee, Saengchan Senapin, Chadag Vishnumurthy Mohan, Kathy Tang-Nelson, Melba Reantaso

Tilapia is an affordable protein source farmed in over 170 countries with much of its production taking place in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Intensification of tilapia farming has exacerbated devastation caused by emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases. To protect against losses, disease diagnostics play a crucial role in biosecurity measures and aquaculture health management. Three continuous levels of diagnostics (I, II and III) for aquatic animals have been proposed by FAO/NACA to promote the integration of both basic and advanced techniques to achieve accurate, and meaningful diagnostic results. However, the recent proliferation of cutting-edge molecular techniques in aquaculture has shifted the focus of researchers and users away from basic approaches and toward molecular diagnostics, despite the fact that many diseases can be rapidly diagnosed using inexpensive, simple microscopic examination, and that numerous emerging diseases in aquaculture were discovered using traditional histopathology.

This review, therefore, revisits and highlights the importance of the three levels of diagnostics for diseases of tilapia, particularly the frequently-overlooked basic procedures. The review also covers current and emerging molecular diagnostic technologies for tilapia pathogens as well as discusses what is on the horizon for emerging technologies and future visions for transferring these technologies to farmers and stakeholders to achieve sustainable aquatic food system transformation.