Randomized clinical field trial of a bacterial kidney disease vaccine in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

Abstract

A randomized, blinded clinical trial was performed to assess the relative effectiveness of five commercial and one experimental vaccine in a population of farmed fish experiencing a bacterial kidney disease (BKD) outbreak that occurred in one study cage that was part of a larger clinical field trial. A total of 6000 uniquely identified Atlantic salmon S1 presmolts were randomly assigned to vaccine groups in the hatchery and transferred to a commercial marine aquaculture site. Repeated sampling events to evaluate growth, inherent physical conditions and health status were carried out over the entire production cycle. During the second summer at sea, the study cage developed an outbreak of BKD that lasted approximately 240 days. The effectiveness of the selected vaccines was evaluated using survival analysis methods. The sole vaccine group offering protection for BKD was found to significantly decrease the hazard of dying (hazard ratio, HR = 0.68, P = 0.018) during the outbreak, compared to the industry standard, vaccine group. Additionally, during the outbreak, fish with a shortened operculum had a significantly decreased hazard (HR = 0.38, P = 0.033) compared to those fish with a normal operculum, while fish with jaw deformities had a significantly increased hazard (HR = 2.55, P = 0.001) compared to fish with normal jaw status.