The well-being of farmed fish has become a growing concern in European society, underscoring the significance of the current application. The VIRALMET project aims to develop practical prophylactic strategies that will not only contribute to reducing the reliance on antibiotics in production settings but also enhance the effectiveness of preventive measures such as vaccination. Specifically, this project will delve into the known potential of MET in enhancing the immune status and inflammatory response of fish. While MET has previously been recognized for its effectiveness against bacterial infections, this project seeks to validate its aptitude against viral disease outbreaks. Importantly, MET may offer an additional advantage as a key precursor to the antiviral effector viperin (VIP). With that, in a first approach, an in vitro study will be implemented to confirm the relationship between MET availability and VIP cellular content for the first time in fish. Additionally, it will confirm the action of VIP as a chain terminator of viral RNA polymerization, an antiviral mechanism recently described in mammals. We will subsequently feed higher levels of MET to those currently recommended `in fish diets, to assess its ability to improve the immune status of trout and seabass and, consequently, the inflammatory response and disease resistance to the virus. Finally, this project aims to examine to what extent dietary MET supplementation can improve vaccine efficiency against viruses in fish. Results from this proposal may be key for developing more effective prophylactic protocols and will strengthen the link between nutritional immunology research and aquaculture.
The VIRALMET proposal signifies a concerted initiative aimed at developing practical prophylactic strategies for two pivotal species in Portuguese aquaculture: trout and seabass that are frequently exposed to virus outbreaks within aquaculture settings and will ultimately benefit the agro-food industry by allowing fish farmers to produce healthier and more robust fish. The feasibility of the present proposal is directly linked to the scientific strength of the team and the strong collaborative network that has already been established while developing the proposed research plan.