ICAR-Central Institute of Brackishwater Aquaculture (ICAR-CIBA), Chennai organized an online talk on “Emergent diseases and efforts toward developing antiviral therapy in shrimp” by an eminent speaker, Dr. Arun K. Dhar, Professor & Director, Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory, School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences, the University of Arizona, Tucson, USA on 29th July 2022 as part of the 75th Anniversary of Indian Independence (Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav). About 234 participants attended the webinar. Presently shrimp aquaculture industry is largely suffering from diseases caused critical pathogens like Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei or EHP and White Spot Syndrome Virus. The speaker provided the latest research information available on EHP and the causative agent for white fecal syndrome. Similarly, he elaborated on their work on delivery system that they developed from the capsid protein of Macrobrachium rosenbergii noda virus (MrNV). The talk was arranged in zoom platform and it was running in full capacity till the end. The participants appreciated ICAR-CIBA for organising the discussion on an important production risk faced by the sector. Scientists working on fish health laboratories from several research organizations from India, abroad and stakeholders representing the shrimp industry attended and actively participated in the interaction. Scientists and research scholars from other ICAR fisheries research institutes also participated in the webinar at their respective institutions.
