Preliminary Survey on the Health and Management Practices Among Small-scale Cage Tilapia Farmers on Lake Volta

Abstract The study investigated the health and management strategies adopted by fish farmers on Lake Volta to control disease outbreaks. 30 fish farmers were randomly selected within stratum II of the Lake Volta and interviewed using semi-structured questionnaires and oral discussions to collect information on their knowledge, experiences and measures used in controlling the spread of fish diseases. Farmers face challenges including poor water quality and seed and incidence of diseases. 56% of farmers reported they have experienced up to 70% losses of their fish due to diseases. 80% of farmers use antibiotics, herbs and probiotics as a treatment regimen to control diseases. Farmers expressed low confidence in using expert advice in the control of diseases. For better management of fish health, it may be necessary to develop a comprehensive fish health management plan by the collaborative efforts of stakeholders in the management of disease incidence in the aquaculture industry in Ghana.</jats:p

Challenges facing drug utilization research in the Latin American region

Purpose: The International Society of Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) in collaboration with the Latin America Drug Utilization Research Group (LatAm DURG), the Medicines Utilization Research in Africa (MURIA) group, and the Uppsala Monitoring Center, is leading an initiative to understand challenges to drug utilization research (DUR) in the Latin American (LatAm) and African regions with the goal of communicating results and proposing solutions to these challenges in four scientific publications. The purpose of this first manuscript is to identify the main challenges associated with DUR in the LatAm region. Methods: Drug utilization (DU) researchers in the LatAm region voluntarily participated in multiple discussions, contributed with local data and reviewed successive drafts and the final manuscript. Additionally, we carried out a literature review to identify the most relevant publications related to DU studies from the LatAm region. Results: Multiple challenges were identified in the LatAm region for DUR including socioeconomic inequality, access to medical care, complexity of the healthcare system, limited investment in research and development, limited institutional and organization resources, language barriers, limited health education and literacy. Further, there is limited use of local DUR data by decision makers particularly in the identification of emerging health needs coming from social and demographic transitions. Conclusion: The LatAm region faces challenges to DUR which are inherent in the healthcare and political systems, and potential solutions should target changes to the system

In field use of water samples for genomic surveillance of infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) infecting tilapia fish in Lake Volta, Ghana

Viral outbreaks are a constant threat to aquaculture, limiting production for better global food security. A lack of diagnostic testing and monitoring in resource-limited areas hinders the capacity to respond rapidly to disease outbreaks and to prevent viral pathogens becoming endemic in fisheries productive waters. Recent developments in diagnostic testing for emerging viruses, however, offers a solution for rapid in situ monitoring of viral outbreaks. Genomic epidemiology has furthermore proven highly effective in detecting viral mutations involved in pathogenesis and assisting in resolving chains of transmission. Here, we demonstrate the application of an in-field epidemiological tool kit to track viral outbreaks in aquaculture on farms with reduced access to diagnostic labs, and with non-destructive sampling. Inspired by the "lab in a suitcase" approach used for genomic surveillance of human viral pathogens and wastewater monitoring of COVID19, we evaluated the feasibility of real-time genome sequencing surveillance of the fish pathogen, Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) in Lake Volta. Viral fractions from water samples collected from cages holding Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) with suspected ongoing ISKNV infections were concentrated and used as a template for whole genome sequencing, using a previously developed tiled PCR method for ISKNV. Mutations in ISKNV in samples collected from the water surrounding the cages matched those collected from infected caged fish, illustrating that water samples can be used for detecting predominant ISKNV variants in an ongoing outbreak. This approach allows for the detection of ISKNV and tracking of the dynamics of variant frequencies, and may thus assist in guiding control measures for the rapid isolation and quarantine of infected farms and facilities