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Aquaculture and Aquatic Animal Health

Government gazzette
200 27/08/1996
E-mail
eathan@vet.uth.gr
Webpage
http://www.uth.gr
Department
Faculty of Veterinary Science
Tel.
+30 24410 66045
Research Categories
Ichthyology
Fish Biology
Fish Pathology
Aquaculture

The main research activities of the Department focus on three research and teaching targets: (a) Management of the aquatic animal health, hygiene and quality of the final products and public health. (b) Development and application of effective and innovative zootechnical methods in aquaculture. (c) Study of the aquatic wildlife, mammals and environment. The Department and its staff are well known in the Mediterranean area for the experience in fish disease research and diagnostics, and particularly in the field of parasitological diseases Teaching targets: (a) Terminology of aquatic diseases and international abbreviations of diseases, (b) Principles and differences of diagnosis in specific aquatic ecosystems, species and stage of culture, (c) Principles, factors and associations involving disease outbreaks in farmed and wild aquatic species. Epidemiology principles in freshwater and marine cultured aquatic animals, (d) Methods of sampling and dispatching pathological material according to disease diagnosis targets and farming systems, (d) Differential diagnosis of diseases of aquatic animals in terms of clinical signs, necropsy and laboratory results, (e) Differences on welfare, immune system and disease diagnosis between terrestrial and aquatic animals, (f) Principles of prevention, treatment strategies and dose calculation in the aquatic environment, (g) Principles of toxicology and preventing pollution in the aquatic environment and the final product, (g) Diagnosis of notifiable diseases and main legislation concerning fish farming, diseases of aquatic organisms and aquaculture products, (h) Resolving different clinical cases.

Research Activities

Teaching and  Research on the diseases of aquatic animals, both wild and cultured marine and freshwater species.

There is also ongoing research on all aspects of parasitological diseases of cultured marine and freshwater fish (pathology, immunology, chemotherapy and control).

On Noda-virus disease of marine fish.

On the diseases of sturgeon and on the development of molecular techniques for application in the identification of microorganisms and in diagnostic tests.

Research Projects

Towards control of Enterococcus sp. infections in cultured maditerranean marine fish. EEC project No: FAIR CRAFT FA-ST-8450 (1998-2000) Preliminary award.

Study of the pathology, transmission and treatment of Myxosporidiasis in intensive fish farming of marine fish in Greece" Greek Ministry of Technology and Research, ΠΑΒΕ, Α.Π. 13289 (1998).

Dietary factors influencing the development, food digestability, the health and disease resistance of Puntazzo puntazzo in intensive farming conditions Greek Ministry of Technology and Research, ΠΑΒΕ, Α.Π. 97ΒΕ230 (1998).

Farmacological study of sarafloxacin in Sparus aurata and detection of tissue residues. Grant of National Research Foundation (1995).

Development of prevention measures and genetic control of diseases of marine fish broodstock. Grant from the Association of marine fish farmers of Greece (1998).

Study of the development of reared Diplodus sargus in Ionian Sea , In Argolikos and Evoikos Bay and in the Santoni Lagoon, (Corfu) in relation to the wild population. Greek Ministry of Technology and Research.

Diagnosis, epidemiology and control of an enteric myxosporosis of commercial Mediterranean fish. EEC project Quality of life, 2002-2006).

Study of the ecology and identification of metazoan parasites of marine mediterranean fish in relation to intensive farming conditions Greek-Italian collaboration,GSRT, 1999-2001).

Study of the toxicity and pathological effects of ivermectin against the parasites: Lernathropus kroyeri και Anilocra physodes, of sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax. L Simi Fish Farm project (1997-1998).

ΕPΕΑΕΚ "Practical experience of Veterinary Medicine students". University of Thessaly (2002-2004). Ministry of Education. Principal Investigator.

ΕPΕΑΕΚ "Upgrading of the syllabus of the Veterinary Medicine Faculty". University of Thessaly 2003-2008. Ministry of Education. Principal Investigator.

Diagnosis, epidemiology and control of an enteric myxosporosis of commercial Mediterranean fish. EEC project. "Quality of life", This project has just started 2002-2005.

Disease interactions and pathogen exchange between farmed and wild aquatic animal populations- a European network. (DIPNET), contract number: QLK2-2004-006598. (2004) [1]

PANDA- EU Framework Programme 6 (contract number SSPE-CT-2003-502329). [2] (2003)

Identification of Noda virus in cultured sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax L.) with PCR method and molecular characterization of the virus. Funded by the University of Thessalia.2002-2003.

Search for Markers for Neuronal Diseases in Fish With Special Focus on Potential Prion GSRT, Greek-German collaboration 2002-2004.

Establishment of a databank of pathogenic bacteria in Greek fish farms. Ministry of Agriculture 2007-2009. In collaboration with the University of Thessaloniki and the Marine Research Institute, Athens.

Study of the residue levels of antibiotics in Greece, private company award 2009.

AquaTT- EEC project: Training (undergraduate and postgraduate) in Aquaculture in Europe. Partner for Greece (2009).

MSc program, ("Pathological conditions of cultured fish", and "Aquaculture"). Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, School of Medical Sciences, University of Thessaly. MSc Director. (2006-today)

HERACLEITOS RESEARCH PROGRAM (PhD Thesis research grant), Ministry of Education (2010). "Implementation of innovative therapeutic treatments for the successful management of ectoparasitosis in intensive Mediterranean aquaculture systems".

ΗΡΑΚΛΕΙΤΟΣ ΙΙ : "Study of Myxobacteriosis in intensive fish farming y" ΕΣΠΑ 2007-13.

ΣΥΝΕΡΓΑΣΙΑ 2011 : "Use of antibacterial agents for prevention and therapy of common diseases of cultured fish and determination of their affectivity of and safety".

PROTENCH. Intensive and sustainable culture of the freshwater species tench / COOP-CT-2004, Contract Number 512575 /[3] 2005-2006.

Aquaculture and Coastal Economic and Social Sustainability - AQCESS, European Union Key Action 5, Q5RS-2000-31151/ [4] 2001-2003.

Sustainable Sea Urchin Culture, 1998-2000, FAIR-CT97-8459 and FAIR-CT98-9210 (SC), Fourth Frame Work Program.

Research Results / Products

Methods of detection of  Noda virus, myxobacteria, myxosporida.

Novel Treatments of Myxosporida, Myxobacteria.

Database of pathogens in in intensive Mediterranean fish farming.

Personnel
Surname Name Profession-Position Email Phone Number Web-link
Αθανασοπούλου
Φωτεινή
Διευθυντής
eathan@vet.uth.gr
+30 24410 66008