Indian Immunologicals joins hands with CIFE to venture into fish vaccines

HYDERABAD: Leading vaccine manufacturer Indian Immunologicals Limited (IIL) has on Monday joined hands with Central Institute of Fisheries Education(CIFE), Mumbai, to commercially develop a vaccine against common bacterial diseses in freshwater fish.

Indian Immunologicals Limited had recently forayed into Aqua business by launching products for aquaculture health market in October 2022.

With the launch of freshwater fish vaccines in India, IIL plans to curb economic losses due to infections caused by several bacterial, viral, fungal, and other aetiological agents which are currently being managed by anti-infectives and other conventional measures with varying degree of success.

The vaccine makers will explore solutions for Indian fish farmers, while CIFE will provide technology for two inactivated bacterial vaccines, one for ColumnarisDisease, a serious condition affecting numerous freshwater fish species, and other for Edwardsiellosis that cause high degree of mortality, leading to severe economic losses. Both the diseases are extremely common in freshwater fishes and is generally considered to be ubiquitous.

Speaking on the occasion, Indian Immunologicals Managing Director Dr. K Anand Kuma said, “IIL has introduced several innovative veterinary vaccines first to the world, like Porcine Cysticercosis vaccine, FMD+HS+BQ combination vaccine and Theileria vaccine. IIL is again the first in India to get to fish vaccines. We are committed to introducing more and more products for the aquaculture market and help shrimp and fish growers to increase their productivity and protect fish schools from various diseases".

Director and Vice Chancellor of ICAr-CIFE Dr. CN Ravishankar, said “In support to India’s Blue Revolution, I am glad that CIFE and IIL have come together to partner in developing India’s fist bacterial fish vaccine”.