Fish Vet Group - Provides technical and veterinary services to fish farmers, fisheries, aquarists and their associated suppliers.

The FVG laboratory has been in operation since FVG’s inception back in 1995. The lab was established to provide much-needed laboratory support to the clinical services, which were at the forefront of FVG at that time. Since this time FVG has enjoyed considerable growth and diversification whilst recognising that it had to respond to various, constantly changing forces within the aquaculture market.

Currently the FVG laboratory can offer a wide range of services covering most of the laboratory disciplines including:

Histology Bacteriology Virology including serology Water quality including plankton identification and enumeration Flesh quality analyses Feed analyses Sea lice sensitivity tests Other analyses can be considered by prior arrangement

Histology

For remote locations histology can offer a needy helpline to fish farmers in search of a rapid answer to a problem. Histology involves the fixation of fish tissues allowing their preservation in as lifelike a state as possible. Once effectively preserved tissues are then processed in such a way that they can be fully impregnated with wax before cutting very thin sections and drying onto glass slides. Further processing then allows tissues to be stained before microscopic examination allowing a presumptive diagnosis to be made.

Bacteriology
In the early days of aquaculture the most common problem besetting farmers was a bacterial infection usually furunculosis or Enteric Red mouth. With the advent of effective vaccines both of these bacteria, whilst still around are much less frequently seen and more so once fish are vaccinated. Bacteriology involves culturing infected tissues onto appropriate artificial media usually containing agar and thereby obtaining pure cultures of bacteria. Once these are obtained then the identification tests and more often the antibiotic sensitivity results can be carried out.

Virology
The ability to detect virus infections or evidence of previous exposure to viruses is a very important tool in aquaculture. At FVG we can assist in this important area of disease diagnosis. Common virus infections include Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis virus (IPNV) and Salmonid Alpha viruses (SAV’s) as found in Pancreas disease. In common with bacterial pathogens the search for effective vaccines has led to another success story with development of the so-called bivalent vaccines that not only protect against furunculosis but also confer resistance to IPNV. Research into the SAV’s has also led to another production of another vaccine claimed to protect fish against the development of Pancreas disease and no doubt more will follow.

Flesh quality analyses
The FVG laboratory can offer a range of analyses providing data on flesh oil and pigment levels. At FVG we can draw on a wealth of experience in investigating fish quality problems that may be encountered at any stage in the production cycle although the majority of problems are identified post-harvest in the processing factory. We can offer this comprehensive service as part of our fish quality package.

Sea lice sensitivity tests
The effective control of sea lice infestations continues to be an important health issue for salmon farmers. With the reliance on a small number of available treatments it is extremely useful to be able to monitor susceptibility of lice populations. Bioassays can also be used to investigate any reduction of expected treatment efficacy. Reduced efficacy of treatments may involve a number of key parameters, other than genuine resistance by lice to medication. Any investigation of reduced treatment efficacy should consider, the presence of concurrent disease and its effect on appetite, use of inappropriate feed type/size, whether an effective dose of medicine has reached the fish and if there have been any significant changes to routine husbandry (such as the introduction of lights). If all of these possible causes for reduced treatment efficacy can be discounted, then it is necessary to investigate the possibility of genuine resistance by lice to medication. At FVG we have developed an in-vivo testing method that allows the determination of sea lice sensitivity to a range of currently available sea lice medicines.

Home Services Products Contact
Veterinary Services Biosecurity and disinfection. Environmental Services Laboratory Services Auditing Services Ornamental Fish Consultancy The FVG laboratory has been in operation since FVG’s inception back in 1995. The lab was established to provide much-needed laboratory support to the clinical services, which were at the forefront of FVG at that time. Since this time FVG has enjoyed considerable growth and diversification whilst recognising that it had to respond to various, constantly changing forces within the aquaculture market. Currently the FVG laboratory can offer a wide range of services covering most of the laboratory disciplines including: Histology Bacteriology Virology including serology Water quality including plankton identification and enumeration Flesh quality analyses Feed analyses Sea lice sensitivity tests Other analyses can be considered by prior arrangement Histology For remote locations histology can offer a needy helpline to fish farmers in search of a rapid answer to a problem. Histology involves the fixation of fish tissues allowing their preservation in as lifelike a state as possible. Once effectively preserved tissues are then processed in such a way that they can be fully impregnated with wax before cutting very thin sections and drying onto glass slides. Further processing then allows tissues to be stained before microscopic examination allowing a presumptive diagnosis to be made. Bacteriology In the early days of aquaculture the most common problem besetting farmers was a bacterial infection usually furunculosis or Enteric Red mouth. With the advent of effective vaccines both of these bacteria, whilst still around are much less frequently seen and more so once fish are vaccinated. Bacteriology involves culturing infected tissues onto appropriate artificial media usually containing agar and thereby obtaining pure cultures of bacteria. Once these are obtained then the identification tests and more often the antibiotic sensitivity results can be carried out. Virology The ability to detect virus infections or evidence of previous exposure to viruses is a very important tool in aquaculture. At FVG we can assist in this important area of disease diagnosis. Common virus infections include Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis virus (IPNV) and Salmonid Alpha viruses (SAV’s) as found in Pancreas disease. In common with bacterial pathogens the search for effective vaccines has led to another success story with development of the so-called bivalent vaccines that not only protect against furunculosis but also confer resistance to IPNV. Research into the SAV’s has also led to another production of another vaccine claimed to protect fish against the development of Pancreas disease and no doubt more will follow. Flesh quality analyses The FVG laboratory can offer a range of analyses providing data on flesh oil and pigment levels. At FVG we can draw on a wealth of experience in investigating fish quality problems that may be encountered at any stage in the production cycle although the majority of problems are identified post-harvest in the processing factory. We can offer this comprehensive service as part of our fish quality package. Sea lice sensitivity tests The effective control of sea lice infestations continues to be an important health issue for salmon farmers. With the reliance on a small number of available treatments it is extremely useful to be able to monitor susceptibility of lice populations. Bioassays can also be used to investigate any reduction of expected treatment efficacy. Reduced efficacy of treatments may involve a number of key parameters, other than genuine resistance by lice to medication. Any investigation of reduced treatment efficacy should consider, the presence of concurrent disease and its effect on appetite, use of inappropriate feed type/size, whether an effective dose of medicine has reached the fish and if there have been any significant changes to routine husbandry (such as the introduction of lights). If all of these possible causes for reduced treatment efficacy can be discounted, then it is necessary to investigate the possibility of genuine resistance by lice to medication. At FVG we have developed an in-vivo testing method that allows the determination of sea lice sensitivity to a range of currently available sea lice medicines.
Home Services Products 22 Carsegate Rd, Inverness, IV3 8EX Scotland, UK Phone: +44 (0) 1463 717774 Fax: +44 (0) 1463 717775 info@fishvet.co.uk