Kim D Thompson

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Verified

Kim verified their affiliation via an institutional email.

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• BSc, MSc, PhD
• Principal Investigator at Moredun

The stressful conditions associated with intensive fish farming increase the fish’s susceptibility to infectious diseases. Rising water temperatures due to climate change are also likely to see increased disease outbreaks and the emergence of new pathogens within farming systems. Disease outbreaks result in substantial economic losses to the aquacu...

Tilapia, which comprises over 100 species, is the world’s second-largest farmed fish species after carp and is cultivated in over 135 countries worldwide, with production ranging from extensive household ponds to large commercial operations (Ng and Romano, 2013; Amal et al., 2018; Jansen et al., 2019). They are affected by various viral, bacterial,...

EAFP UK&IRELAND 2024

Sialic acid is a diverse group of monosaccharides often found on the termini of N- and O-linked glycans as well as being components of glycoconjugates. Hypersialylation has been associated with the progression of chronic inflammation-mediated diseases such as cardiovascular disease and cancer. Given its role in infection and disease-related process...

Background Nile tilapia ( Oreochromis niloticus ) is predominant cultured species in aquaculture. However, there is a scarcity of literature regarding relationship between guava and star gooseberry leaf extract and the condition factor. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the effect of guava and star gooseberry leaf extract-supplemented die...

Background Scale drop disease virus (SDDV) threatens Asian seabass (Lates calcarifer) aquaculture production by causing scale drop disease (SDD) in Asian seabass. Research on the development of SDDV vaccines is missing an in-depth examination of long-term immunity and the immune reactions it provokes. This study investigated the long-term immune pr...

The present study aimed to develop novel masculinization agents for enhancing sex-reversal in red tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) by immersion administration using 17-alpha-methyltestosterone-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (MT-NLC). Moreover, the surface charge of the MT-NLC was modified with chitosan (CS-MT-NLC) to improve their mucoadhesive prope...

Background Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is predominant cultured species in aquaculture. However, there is a scarcity of literature regarding relationship between guava and star gooseberry leaf extract and the condition factor. Thus, the present study aims to investigate the effect of guava and star gooseberry leaf extract-supplemented diets...

The mucosal surfaces of fish, including their intestines, gills, and skin, are constantly exposed to various environmental threats, such as water quality fluctuations, pollutants, and pathogens. However, various cells and microbiota closely associated with these surfaces work in tandem to create a functional protective barrier against these conditi...

The study was designed to investigate the effects of replacing fish oil by algal oil and rapeseed oil on histomorphology indices of the intestine, skin and gill, mucosal barrier status and immune-related genes of mucin and antimicrobial peptide (AMP) genes in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). For these purposes, Atlantic salmon smolts were fed three d...

The aim of this study was to investigate the antimicrobial activity of guava (Psidium guajava) and star gooseberry (Phyllanthus acidus) leaf extracts and their effects as dietary supplements on the growth performance, intestinal (hindgut) microflora composition, immuno-hematological parameters, and disease resistance of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis ni...

Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV) is associated with pathological changes in the brain of infected fish, but the mechanisms driving the virus’s neuropathogenesis remain poorly characterized. TiLV establishes a persistent infection in the brain of infected fish even when the virus is no longer detectable in the peripheral organs, rendering therapeutic inter...

Simple Summary Streptococcus agalactiae Biotype 2 affects Nile tilapia during the grow-out phase, exhibiting a higher virulence with more than 90% mortality compared to Biotype 1, ultimately leading to considerable economic losses in aquaculture. While other therapies are available to treat this bacterium, research on an herbal treatment for a resi...

A mucoadhesive chitosan polymer-based nanoplatform has been increasingly recognized as an effective mucosal vaccine delivery system for fish. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of immersion vaccination with a chitosan polymer-based nanovaccine to elicit an immune response in serum and mucus of red tilapia and evaluate its prot...

Since its inception ~6000 years ago, aquaculture has evolved to enable its survival and growth to become a major contributor of protein of high nutritional value for human consumption, thereby improving food security and reducing poverty. Best practices have been established and updated to reflect developments as they occurred. Currently, best prac...

Since its inception ~6000 years ago, aquaculture has evolved to enable its survival and growth to become a major contributor of protein of high nutritional value for human consumption, thereby improving food security and reducing poverty. Best practices have been established and updated to reflect developments as they occurred. Currently, best prac...

Stink bean, Parkia speciosa, is recognized as a significantly underutilized legume with versatile utility and diverse benefits. However, information on the impact of different processing methods, such as germination and hydrothermal cooking, is scarce on stink beans (SBs). Therefore, the current research aimed to explore the efficacy of germination...

Poster presentation of pathway towards developing an economic model for health and welfare-oriented fish farm

Tilapia is the world’s most extensively farmed species after carp. It is an attractive species for aquaculture as it grows quickly, reaching harvest size within six to seven months of production, and provides an important source of food and revenue for many low-income families, especially in low- to middle-income countries. The expansion of tilapia...

Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) is a novel contagious pathogen associated with a lethal disease affecting and decimating tilapia populations on several continents across the globe. Fish viral diseases, such as Tilapia lake virus disease (TiLVD), represent a serious threat to tilapia aquaculture. Therefore, a better understanding of the innate immune resp...

Streptococcus agalactiae is one of Thailand's most important pathogens in tilapia aquaculture. Vaccination is a very effective method for protecting fish against disease in aquaculture. Oral vaccination is an interesting route for vaccine delivery as it mimics the pathogenesis of S. agalactiae and provides convenient administration for mass vaccina...

Fish diseases caused by viruses are a major threat to aquaculture. Development of disease protection strategies for sustainable fish aquaculture requires a better understanding of the immune mechanisms involved in antiviral defence. The innate and adaptive arms of the vertebrate immune system collaborate to mount an effective defence against viral...

Siamese fighting fish (Betta splendens) play an important role in the global aquarium trade, but their susceptibility to mycobacteriosis could challenge the long-term sustainability of the industry. Thus, this study aimed to characterize rapidly growing non-tuberculous mycobacteria (RGM) isolated from the fish and to investigate their pathogenicity...

The occurrence of francisellosis caused by Francisella orientalis sp. nov. (Fo) and columnaris disease caused by Flavobacterium oreochromis (For) is negatively impacting Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) production, especially when high stocking densities are used. A new and innovative bivalent mucoadhesive nanovaccine was developed in this stud...

Simple Summary Lipid-based nanocarriers have proved effective for drug and hormone delivery. The androgen hormone 17 alpha-methyltestosterone (MT) is used for sex reversal in tilapia; however, the hormone has biopharmaceutical limitations such as insolubility, low stability, limited intestinal absorption, and poor bioavailability. Incorporating MT...

Since the first report of a novel disease caused by tilapia lake virus (TiLV) in 2014, the disease (TiLVD) has gained considerable attention as one of the most devastating viral diseases in tilapia aquaculture globally. The virus is both highly virulent and transmissible and has been detected in many countries worldwide. It poses a severe threat to...

Various emerging and re‐emerging diseases, such as streptococcosis, tilapia lake virus disease and infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus disease, have had a significant economic impact on the tilapia industry over the last decade. These diseases have resulted in high levels of morbidity and mortality, production losses and trade restrictions....

Viral diseases are currently a major issue for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) aquaculture and present a significant threat to the industry's productivity. Heart and skeletal muscle inflammation (HSMI) is an emerging viral disease in Atlantic salmon farming, first detected in a Norwegian salmon farm in 1999. The disease is characterized by lesions...

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS) is presently one of the most important viral diseases affecting Atlantic salmon aquaculture, since it mainly affects fish at the end of the production cycle. Piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV) is the causal agent, a nonenveloped dsRNA virus belonging to the Totiviridae family. The virus causes severe degenerative lesions...

Salmonid alphavirus (SAV) is one of the major viral diseases currently affecting Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss Walbaum) aquaculture industries in Europe. This virus has a genome of single-stranded RNA of positive sense and belongs to the genus Alphavirus, within the family Togaviridae. SAV causes pancreas d...

Complex gill disorder (CGD) is an important condition in Atlantic salmon aquaculture, but the roles of the putative aetiological agents in the pathogenesis are uncertain. A longitudinal study was undertaken on two salmon farms in Scotland to determine the variations in loads of CGD-associated pathogens (Desmozoon lepeophtherii, Candidatus Branchiom...

Over the last few decades, aquaculture has undergone a dramatic expansion in production, becoming a key source of food for people in many countries. Indeed, aquaculture has become extremely important for food security. However, the rapid expansion has led to many concerns, such as the effects of water shortages, pollution, disease and the depletion...

Diarrheal diseases due to foodborne Escherichia coli are the leading cause of illness in humans. Here, we performed pathogenic typing, molecular typing, and antimicrobial susceptibility tests on seventy-five isolates of E. coli isolated from stool samples of patients suffering from foodborne diseases in Busan, South Korea. All the isolates were ide...

The early host–pathogen interaction between European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) and Betanodavirus was examined by using juvenile fish infected intramuscularly with RGNNV (red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus). The time course selected for sampling (0–144 h post-infection (hpi)) covered the early stages of infection, with hematological, an...

The microsporidian Desmozoon lepeophtherii Freeman and Sommerville, 2009 is considered significant in the pathogenesis of gill disease in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar Linnaeus, 1758). Due to the difficulty in detecting D. lepeophtherii in tissue sections, infections are normally diagnosed by molecular methods, routine haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) s...

Tilapia lake virus (TiLV), a major pathogen of farmed tilapia, is known to be vertically transmitted. Here, we hypothesize that Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) broodstock immunized with a TiLV inactivated vaccine can mount a protective antibody response and passively transfer maternal antibodies to their fertilized eggs and larvae. To test thi...

Aim: Bacteria naturally produce membrane vesicles (MVs), which have been shown to contribute to the spread of multi-drug resistant bacteria (MDR) by delivering antibiotic-resistant substances to antibiotic-susceptible bacteria. Here, we aim to show that MVs from Gram-positive bacteria are capable of transferring β-lactam antibiotic-resistant subst...

Tilapia lake virus (TiLV), a major pathogen of farmed tilapia, is known to be vertically transmitted. Here, we hypothesize that Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) broodstock immunized with a TiLV inactivated vaccine can mount a protective antibody response and passively transfer maternal antibodies to their fertilized eggs and larvae. To test thi...

Skin conditions, especially those of unknown aetiology, are often reported in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) aquaculture and are a true challenge for the trout industry. Red mark syndrome (RMS) is a skin condition affecting cultured rainbow trout, which first appeared in the United States of America (USA) in the late-1960s, then referred to as...

Immersion vaccination with a biomimetic mucoadhesive nanovaccine has been shown to induce a strong mucosal immune response against columnaris disease, a serious bacterial disease in farmed red tilapia caused by Flavobacterium columnare. However, the induction of a systemic immune response by the vaccine is yet to be investigated. Here, we examine i...

Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN), caused by betabodavirus, is considered as one of the most important threats for mariculture and aquaculture globally. The disease was previously reported in wild golden grey mullet (Chelon aurata) from the Caspian Sea in 2004. To update these findings and to examine the phylogenetic relationship of the betanodavirus in...

Climate change is expected to have a drastic effect on aquaculture worldwide. As we move forward with the agenda to increase and diversify aquaculture production, rising temperatures will have a progressively relevant impact on fish farming, linked to a multitude of issues associated with fish welfare. Temperature affects the physiology of both fis...

Tilapia tilapinevirus (also known as tilapia lake virus, TiLV) is considered to be a new threat to the global tilapia industry. The objective of this study was to develop simple cell culture-based heat-killed (HKV) and formalin-killed (FKV) vaccines for the prevention of disease caused by TiLV. The fish were immunized with 100 µl of either HKV or F...

British Society for immunology and International Veterinary Vaccinology Network report on the value of veterinary vaccines.

Koi herpesvirus (KHV) is the causative agent of a highly infectious and notifiable disease of C. carpio L. Serology has the potential to identify koi or carp that have been previously exposed to KHV and which may be possible carriers of the virus. In the present study, sera (n = 162) from groups of farmed koi carp, previously screened for KHV using...

Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN) is considered one of the most important threats for mariculture and aquaculture in the world and up to now, it has been affecting more than 70 fish species. This study was aimed to detect and identify fish betanodavirus, the causative agent of VNN, using nested RT-PCR from brain tissue of Caspian Sea Mullet. Forty sampl...

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), caused by piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV), is a serious challenge to Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) aquaculture. Regrettably, husbandry techniques are the only tool to manage CMS outbreaks, and no prophylactic measures are available at present. Early diagnosis of CMS is therefore desirable, preferably with non-leth...

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), caused by piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV), is a serious challenge to Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) aquaculture. Regrettably, husbandry techniques are the only tool to manage CMS outbreaks, and no prophylactic measures are available at present. Early diagnosis of CMS is therefore desirable, preferably with non-let...

Tilapia tilapinevirus (also known as tilapia lake virus, TiLV) is considered to be a new threat to the global tilapia industry. The objective of this study was to develop simple cell culture-based heat-killed (HKV) and formalin-killed (FKV) vaccines for the prevention of disease caused by TiLV. The fish were immunized with 100 μL of either HKV or F...

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS), caused by viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), is a viral disease affecting teleosts, and is the major cause of virus-related deaths in olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus). Research has focused on ways to control VHS, and recently, the use of polyinosinic-polycytidylic acid poly (I:C)-potentiated vaccin...

Columnaris, a highly contagious bacterial disease caused by Flavobacterium columnare, is recognized as one of the most important infectious diseases in farmed tilapia, especially during the fry and fingerling stages of production. The disease is associated with characteristic lesions in the mucosa of affected fish, particularly their skin and gills...

Although Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a well-established aquaculture species globally, there are a limited number of commercial vaccines available or are used for this species. The majority of diseases affecting farmed tilapia are bacterial, with antibiotics frequently used to treat fish. The current study was performed to optimise the u...

A lateral flow immunochromatography strip test, based on antibody–gold nanoparticles specific for nervous necrosis virus (NNV), was developed for rapid, on‐site detection of the virus in fish stocks. A monoclonal antibody against NNV was conjugated with colloidal gold as the detector antibody. A rabbit anti‐NNV polyclonal antibody and goat anti‐mou...

The causative agent of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is the bacterium, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, which secretes toxins into the gastrointestinal tract of its host. Vibrio parahaemolyticus toxins A and B (PirAvp/PirBvp) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of this disease, and are, therefore, the focus of studies developing trea...

In higher vertebrates, helper and cytotoxic T cells, referred to as CD4 and CD8 T lymphocytes, respectively, are mainly associated with adaptive immunity. The adaptive immune system in teleosts involves T cells equivalent to those found in mammals. We previously generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus)...

Red hybrid tilapia were fed a formalin-killed oral Streptococcus iniae vaccine (FKV) in the present study was assessed. Three hundred Red hybrid tilapia 80 ± 10 g were divided into five groups (1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, and Cx), each consisting of 60 fish. Fish from Groups 1A, 1B, 2A, and 2B were fed with FKV over different periods of administration, while G...

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), caused by piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV), is a serious challenge to Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) aquaculture. Regrettably, husbandry techniques are the only tool to manage CMS outbreaks, and no prophylactic measures are available at present. Early diagnosis of CMS is therefore desirable, preferably with non-let...

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), caused by piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV), is a serious challenge to Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) aquaculture. Regrettably, husbandry techniques are the only tool to manage CMS outbreaks, and no prophylactic measures are available at present. Early diagnosis of CMS is therefore desirable, preferably with non-let...

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS), caused by piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV), is a serious challenge to Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar L.) aquaculture. Regrettably, husbandry techniques are the only tool to manage CMS outbreaks, and no prophylactic measures are available at present. Early diagnosis of CMS is therefore desirable, preferably with non-let...

This study was conducted to determine the localisation of antigen in the gut of vaccinated and non-vaccinated red hybrid tilapia post-challenge via immunohistochemistry and scanning electron microscopy. All groups (1, 2, 3, and 4) were vaccinated orally with feed-based killed whole-cells of Streptococcus iniae (FKV). Group 1 was fed with the FKV fo...

Groupers are popular aquaculture species in South‐East Asia, but their cultivation is affected by infectious disease outbreaks. Mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissues provide a first‐line defence against pathogens; however, few studies are available relating to cellular or proteomic responses of mucosal immunity in grouper. Skin, gill and intestine wer...

The presence of CD4 T lymphocytes has been described for several teleost species, while many of the main T cell subsets have not been characterized at a cellular level, because of a lack of suitable tools for their identification, e.g., monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against cell markers. We previously described the tissue distribution and immune res...

Red mark syndrome (RMS) is a skin condition in Rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss that has been reported worldwide but was first seen in the United Kingdom (UK) in 2003. The current study was conducted to examine if there was an association between a Midichloria-like organism (MLO) and RMS using a statistically appropriate sample set, whilst determi...

Gram-negative bacteria have an outer membrane inhibiting the entry of antibiotics. Porins, found within the outer membrane, are involved in regulating the permeability of β-lactam antibiotics. β-lactamases are enzymes that are able to inactivate the antibacterial properties of β-lactam antibiotics. Interestingly, porins and β-lactamase are found in...

Francisella noatunensis is a fastidious facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen that causes 'piscine francisellosis', a serious disease affecting both marine and fresh water farmed and wild fish worldwide. Currently two F. noatunensis subspecies are recognized, i.e. F. noatunensis subsp. noatunensis and F. noatunensis subsp. orientalis. In the...

Aims: The aim of this study was to develop a TaqMan quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), based on the Streptococcus agalactiae groEL gene, to specifically quantify levels of bacteria within samples derived from aquatic sources, particularly aquaculture. Enumeration of bacteria by qPCR was compared with culture-based methods. Methods and...

The variable lymphocyte receptor (VLR) mediates the humoral immune response in jawless vertebrates, including lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) and hagfish (Eptatretus burgeri). Hagfish VLRBs are composed of leucine-rich repeat (LRR) modules, conjugated with a superhydrophobic C-terminal tail, which contributes to low levels of expression in recombinant...

Desmozoon lepeophtherii is a microsporidian associated with gill disease in farmed Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar). Detection of the parasite in histologic tissue sections is challenging using common histochemical stains given that the small, widely distributed parasite spores typically occur individually or in small clusters. We compared the abilit...

The occurrence of CD4 helper T cells has already been established for a number of teleost species, though, it has not been possible to analyze these responses at a cellular level due to a large lack of appropriate monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). In the present study, we produced a mAb against olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) CD4-1 lymphocyte t...

Flavobacterium psychrophilum is one of the most important bacterial pathogens affecting cultured rainbow trout and affects fry when they are too small to inject. We developed a mucosal vaccine for F. psychrophilum, which provided a high level of protection to trout fry against heterologous challenge by immersion (RPS 84%). As mucus is the first bar...

Viral nervous necrosis virus (VNNV) produces the viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER) disease causing great mortalities in aquaculture fish. As is known, the innate system of teleost fish plays an important role in the defence against viral infection. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate several immune-related enzymes (i.e. lysozy...

One of the major disease threats affecting the Mediterranean aquaculture industry is viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER). The target organs for Betanodavirus detection are the brain and eyes, obtained through lethal sampling. This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and suitability of non-lethal samples for detecting Betanodavirus in Europe...

Teleost fish, as with other vertebrates, rely on their innate immune system as a first line of defense against invading pathogens. A very important characteristic of the innate immune response is its ability to recognize conserved molecular structures, such as viral dsRNA and ssRNA. Mda5 is one of the three pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that...

The variable lymphocyte receptor B (VLRB) of jawless vertebrates has a similar function to the antibodies produced by jawed vertebrates, and has been considered as an alternative source to mammalian antibodies for use in biological research. We developed a modified yeast display vector system (pYD8) to display recombinant hagfish VLRB proteins on t...

Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN) is considered as one of the most important threats for mariculture and aquaculture in the worldandup to now,it has been affecting more than 70 fish species.This study was aimed to detect and identify fish betanodavirus, the causative agent of VNN, using nested RT-PCRfrom brain tissue of Caspian Sea Mullet.Forty samples...

PURPOSE: Mycobacteria are common causative agents of bacterial infections in many species of freshwater and marine fish. Identification of mycobacteria to the species level based on phenotypic tests is inappropriate and time consuming. Molecular methods such as partial or entire gene sequence determination in mycobacteria have been employed to reso...