Aquatic Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory (AADDL) inaugurated at MAC, Vallarpadam, Cochin

The Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA), through its R&D arm Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Aquaculture (RGCA) initiated the functioning of MAC during December 2018 to revive the farming of Black Tiger shrimp and also to diversify the aquaculture in the west coast of the country through the continuous supply of GIFT (Tilapia), Asian Seabass and Pompano seeds. During the past 27 months functioning MAC  had supplied 15.2 million seeds of different species to 4725 beneficiaries in the state of Kerala, Karnataka, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh and Goa. Within a period of 2 years MAC became the most dependable source of quality seeds in Kerala. In order to assure the quality of the seeds being supplied from MAC and also to extend disease diagnostic service to the west coast farmers MAC established an Aquatic Animal disease diagnostic laboratory at a total cost of Rs. 1.27 Crore.

Shri.S.Suhas, IAS District Collector, Ernakulam inaugurated the lab on 25th February, 2021 in the presence of  Shri.K.S.Srinivas, IAS Chairman, MPEDA & President, RGCA.

The Laboratory is equipped with all modern equipments including RT-PCR for molecular diagnosis as well as microbiology and water chemistry analysis. It is an exclusive laboratory for diagnosing diseases of cultured shrimp/fish.

At present MPEDA-RGCA is operating an exclusive disease diagnostic laboratory at RGCA headquarters in Sirkali, Tamilnadu. This is the first NABL accredited Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory in the country. Through establishing this new laboratory in Cochin MPEDA aims to extend fast and reliable disease diagnosis service to the west coast aquaculture farmers.

The Aquatic Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory in the MAC facility will extend the disease diagnostic service at a nominal rate. Presence of around 16  viral diseases of shrimp/fish  including all OIE listed diseases like WSD, AHPND, NHP, infection with IMNV, IHHNV, TSV, YHV, MrNV , EUS , infection with RSBI- Iridovirus, VNN and other major diseases such as EHP  and infection with TiLV ( Tilapia Lake Virus) etc. and other bacterial, fungal infections can be detected upto trace level in minimum time.

The Laboratory is equipped for molecular detection of the following major shrimp/fish pathogens :

  • White spot syndrome Virus (WSSV)
  • Infectious Hypodermal and Haematopoietic Necrosis virus (IHHNV)
  • Vibrio parahaemolyticus with toxin gene causing Acute Hepatopancreatic Necrosis disease (AHPND)
  • Enterocytozoon hepatopenaei (EHP) 
  • Infectious Myonecrosis Virus (IMNV)
  • Monodon Baculovirus (MBV)
  • Hepatopancreatic Parvovirus (HPV)
  • Yellow Head Virus (YHV)
  • Taura syndrome virus (TSV)
  • Hepatobacter penaei (NHP-B)
  • Covert Mortality Nodavirus (CMNV)
  • Shrimp Haemocyte Iridescent Virus (SHIV)
  • Viral Nervous Necrosis (VNN)
  • Red Seabream Iridovirus
  • Tilapia Lake Virus (TiLV)