Establishing blood biochemistry reference intervals for juvenile Asian Seabass

Supervisor

Asian Seabass, Lates calcarifer is one of the most important farmed fish species in Singapore and SE Asia. Like for many other intensively farmed animals, diseases remain one of the main threats to sustainable aquaculture of this species. Diseases are more prevalent in juvenile L. calcarifer due to less developed immunity. Histopathology is commonly used for screening fish for disease and health certifications. However, organ pathology maybe preceded by changes in blood biochemistry days to weeks ahead of clinical signs and visible pathology. In human and domesticated animal species, blood biochemistry has been established as a reliable and economical method to monitor organ function, general health, and guide disease management, but has yet to be established for aquaculture species. This study aims to build on the blood reference intervals published by Chew et al., 2023, and extend them to biochemical parameters indicative of organ function for important organs such as the liver and kidney. Biochemistry will be correlated to histopathological evaluations of healthy reference population of L. calcarifer, for a more robust evaluation of health status.

01 Mar 2024 - 31 Dec 2024

N/A