The emergence of White Spot Syndrome Virus: Identifying ancestral hosts to prevent, mitigate and combat emerging diseases in aquaculture

About the award:

The Strategic Alliance that exists between The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the University of Exeter is pleased to announce the intention to fund 2 new PhD projects for a September 2017 start. This project is one of six projects that are in competition for funding from the University of Exeter and Cefas. Up to two studentships will be awarded to the best applicants. The new projects will further strengthen the alliance and will contribute towards a developing collective expertise in Aquatic Food Security and Safety. Within the current Cefas Science Strategy, ‘Meeting Food Security and Safety Targets’ is one of 5 key evidence challenges. Cefas is focussing its broad aquatic expertise on the growth area of aquatic food production and safety at both national and international levels. As part of this strategy, the strengthening of partner working between government, academia and industry is a major goal.

Project Description:

White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) is a well-studied crustacean virus and has devastating effects on the shrimp farming industry, causing cumulative losses exceeding $10bn since 1993 (Stentiford et al., 2012). Combating this globally important pathogen is a high priority worldwide to promote food security and sustainable food production and to protect the health of wild crustacean species in tropical and temperate areas affected by WSSV. WSSV emerged in 1991 in Penaeus japonicus in China and Taipei, spreading rapidly throughout Asia and the Americas. WSSV is a large dsDNA virus and currently the sole member of the virus family Nimaviridae. Recently, we have isolated a similar virus in wild-caught European shore crab Carcinus maenas and previous studies have also suggested the presence of WSSV-like viruses in other crustaceans. Viral diseases occur in both farmed and wild aquatic animals, and these diseases commonly have their natural reservoir in wild aquatic animals, where population densities are often not sufficient to sustain the natural transmission cycle, which is readily facilitated by aquaculture. To prevent the emergence of novel diseases and to control WSSV, we therefore need to understand the viral epidemiology of wild and farmed crustaceans.

In this project, you will investigate the epidemiology and evolution of viruses in wild and farmed crustaceans in order to better understand the emergence of novel diseases and potentially inform mitigation strategies and therapeutic treatments. You will be part of a large interdisciplinary team and receive training in bioinformatics, evolutionary genetics and experimental and ecological epidemiology in order to identify ancestral hosts of WSSV-like viruses and reconstruct their epidemiology using phylogenetic models.

Using the latest molecular tools, you will analyse high-throughput sequencing datasets derived from existing tissue collections from wild portunid crabs sampled from shrimp farming regions (such as mangrove areas surrounding shrimp ponds in Thailand) to identify WSSV-like viruses with the potential to cause emerging diseases. Furthermore, you will experimentally test for variation in host susceptibility and aim to identify the genetic basis for variation in resistance with the ultimate aim to provide tools for the prevention, mitigation and treatment of WSSV and other novel emerging diseases in farmed crustaceans.

The project will be supervised by Dr Kelly Bateman and Dr Ronny van Aerle (Cefas), Dr Lena Wilfert (University of Exeter) and Dr Kallaya Sritunyalucksana-Dangtip (Centex Shrimp, Thailand). The student will be primarily based at Cefas (Weymouth), but will also spend time at the University of Exeter (Penryn Campus), benefiting from high-quality research environments and the interface between research and its application to policy. For informal enquiries please contact Dr Kelly Bateman ([Email Address Removed]).

Entry requirements:

Applicants for this studentship must have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science or technology.

If English is not your first language you will need to have achieved at least 6.5 in IELTS and no less than 6.0 in any section by the start of the project. Alternative tests may be acceptable, see http://www.exeter.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/english/.

For more information and for how to apply please visit http://www.exeter.ac.uk/studying/funding/award/?id=2517