A PRESENTATION ON SPF AND SPR

PRESENTED TO- PRESENTED BY-

1
RICHA BORUAH(20-F-16)
Dr. HEMANTA POKHREL
WALTER RONGHANG(20-F-18)
ASSISTANT PROFESSOR PRAGYAN BHUYAN(20-F-19)
DEPARTMENT OF AAHM ANUBHAV SAHA(20-F-21)
PARTHA PRATIM PAL(20-F-22)
COLLEGE OF FISHERIES
AAU,RAHA
2 SPF(SPECIFIC PATHOGEN FREE)

What is SPF?
 Specific pathogen free (SPF) meaning that they are free from specific pathogens,
but not necessarily free of all pathogens.
 An SPF animal can be defined as one coming from a population that has tested
negative for specific pathogens for at least two years .
 The SPF animals are special stock of animals that are kept in SPF facilities under
a rigorous monitoring system and are subjected to sensitive and accurate
diagnostic methods.
3 Contd.
The SPF animals are not innately resistant to the specified pathogens or infections, although
they can possibly be developed as specific pathogen resistant (SPR) species.
They are not produced to provide either superior genetic stock or improved culturing attributes
such as faster‐ growth.
 The SPF status of stock animals is lost once the animals are removed from the designated
facility even if the animals are not infected or develop any other disease symptoms.
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5 SPF for which pathogens:
 The specific list of pathogens the SPF stock are free from varies between
suppliers.
 Principally, those pathogens must be a significant threat to the industry and
possibly to international trade.
 All the OIE listed pathogens are normally considered.
 The pathogens affecting any life cycle stage of animal should be included. These
pathogens must be detectable with reliable diagnostic methods that can evaluate
the animal health status. Moreover, they must be physically excluded from the
animal culture facility.
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Fig : Development of Specific Pathogen Free(SPF) shrimp

stocks
7 Advantages of SPF:
 SPF animals offer an advantage to a country introducing a species for the first
time as it offers some assurance that the imported animals will not introduce the
listed pathogens to native species. However, SPF stocks may harbor other (non‐
specified) pathogens, and this should be taken into an account as it can pose a risk
when the animals are under stress.
 With regard to shrimp culture, biosecurity systems are adopted to overcome a
threat of disease outbreaks. The main concepts of biosecurity systems are to
exclude pathogens and aid eradication if they occur. SPF stock is one of the major
components considered in any biosecurity system, since the specific pathogen can
be eliminated and contamination minimized.
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 SPF animals are extremely useful for basic and applied science research especially to
immunological studies and vaccine trials since the listed interfering pathogens can be ruled
out. The SPF animals are also essential for other bioassay; for instance a study of shrimp
viral diseases, where the shrimp cell line is not available, the pathogen free animals are
certainly needed for bioassay study.
9 Drawback of SPF:
 The major concern of SPF stock is the potential problems caused by inbreeding. SPF
development is reliant on inbreeding of animals to maintain consistent production.
Such a production system inevitably faces the problem of genetic deterioration. This
may pose problems such as reduction in disease tolerance, growth characteristics,
and other developmental abnormalities of stock animals.
 Lacking natural immunity could be another risk to be considered. As the SPF
animals are cultured under hygienic condition with minimal contact to normal micro
flora, their acquired immunity is rather low. Thus, SPF stock may not perform well
under non‐ biosecure or outdoor open culture operations.
 One potential drawback of SPF animals is that they are only SPF for the specific
diseases for which they have been checked.
10 Contd.

 Typically this will consist of the viral pathogens which known to cause major
losses to the shrimp culture industry, including WSSV, YHV, TSV, IHHNV, BPV
and HPV as well as microsporidians, haplosporidians, gregarines, nematodes and
cestodes.
 Additionally, new diseases may emerge from mutations of previously non-
pathogenic organisms - i.e. the highly mutable RNA viruses.
 This means that although the monitoring program is active, the pathogenic agent
may be missed out. This hidden risk can consequently pose a threat to the health
status of the animal.
11 Specific Pathogen Resistance(SPR)
 Meaning that they are free of all pathogen
 Resistance comes in the genes. It is not developed by exposure to pathogens.
Resistance genes are generally present in the genome of the species.
 Selection for disease resistance aims to find and concentrate these genes in the
species
 SPR status for a particular pathogen is not lost due to management practices,
although it can be lost in subsequent generations through poor animal breeding
and selection strategies.
12 Contd.

 Recent work by some state and private companies has focused efforts on the
development of SPF strains that are also resistant to specific pathogens. This is
usually a long process and usually focused on one pathogen at a time.
 SPR shrimp usually result from a specific breeding programme designed to
increase resistance to a particular virus.
 This is accomplished by challenging sub lots of shrimp families to a particular
pathogen and then selecting the most resistant families as broodstock for the next
generation.
13 SPR Production

 This is accomplished by challenging sub-lots of shrimp families to a particular

pathogen (or combination of pathogens) and then selecting the most resistant
families as broodstock for the next generation.

 These strains are typically resistant to only one pathogen, currently largely either
TSV or IHHNV, but some work has indicated that strains with multiple resistance
to TSV and WSSV (at up to 25 percent survival to challenge tests) may be
possible (Jim Wyban, per. com.).
14 Contd.

 SPR status for a particular pathogen is not lost due to management practices,
although it can be lost in subsequent generations through poor animal breeding
and selection strategies.
15 Hawaii history SPR

 A selective breeding for P. vannamei was initiated in 1995 in Oceanic Institute

Hawaii.

 Original work was based on a selection index equally for growth and TSV
resistance .

 Confirmation that the growth and survival responded well to selection was
obtained, but there appeared to be a negative genetic correlation between these
traits.
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 However, selected shrimp were 5% smaller than control shrimp, revealing a

negative genetic correlation between mean family and mean family survival to
TSV challenge.

 The negative correlation between growth and disease resistance must therefore be
taken into account when developing breeding plan for these shrimp.
17 Hawaii SPR
 Using the Hawaii specific pathogen resistance (SPR) healthy P. Vannamei to
increase the possibility of a more successful production.

 This SPR Vannamei not only show negative for TSV, WSSV, IHHNV,YHV and
HPV, but also get 81~88% high survival rate under the TSV attack, conducted by
the University of Arizona and Oceanic Institute.

 Like any other animal, the virus-resistance ability of SPR healthy Vannamei may
decrease after three to four generation. From time to time, it is needed to
introduce new parent prawn to keep the virus-ability standard.
18 Specific Pathogen Tolerant (SPT)
 The vast majority of SPR being sold are SPT

 They are tolerant to the specific pathogen at a certain level of exposure to the
particular pathogen.

 SPT animals either do not develop the disease, or it has a lower impact than in
normal animals, when they are infected with the specific pathogen for which
tolerant status is conferred.
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 Tolerance is a quantitative characteristic. For example, there might be different

degrees of tolerance to the pathogen.

 If SPT animals have not been exposed to pathogens, they can also have SPF
status, but being susceptible to infection, they cannot be SPR for that same
pathogen. Unless these animals are also SPF, they are potential carriers of
pathogens and therefore present a risk to spread diseases.
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