Modeling transmission of infectious diseases in aquaculture

Infectious diseases constitute a constant threat to the Norwegian fish farming industry with major economic implications, in addition to being a problem for fish welfare and the environment. Norwegian Computing Center develop stochastic simulation models to describe how infectious diseases are transmitted between fish farms, including models for infectious salmon anaemia, pancras disease and sea lice. Such models can be used to investigate the effect of various measures to reduce the risk of infection, for instance by relocating the fish farms in clusters instead of today’s practice where the installations are more evenly spread. The work is performed in close cooperation with the Norwegian Veterinary Institute, the Institute of Marine Research and the University of Oslo.

Photo: photos.com

Publications

Jansen, P., Kristoffersen, A., Viljugrein, H., Jimenez, D., Aldrin, M. and Stien, A. (2012). Sea lice as a density dependent constraint to salmonid farming. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, Vol. 239, p. 2330-2338, doi: 10.1098/rspb.2012.0084.

Aldrin, M., Lyngstad, T.M., Kristoffersen, A.B., Storvik, B., Borgan, Ø, Jansen, P.A. (2011). Modelling the spread of infectious salmon anaemia (ISA) among salmon farms based on seaway distances between farms and genetic relationships between ISA virus isolates. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Vol. 8, p. 1346-1356, doi: 10.1098/rsif.2010.0737 .

Aldrin, M., Storvik, B., Frigessi, A., Viljugrein, H. and Jansen, P. A. (2010). A stochastic model for the assessment of the transmission pathways of heart and skeleton muscle inflammation, pancreas disease and infectious salmon anaemia in marine fish farms in Norway. Preventive Veterinary Medicine, Vol. 93, pp. 51-61, doi: 10.1016/j.prevetmed.2009.09.010 . [pdf]

Scheel, I., Aldrin, M., Frigessi, A. and Jansen, P.A (2007). A stochastic model for infectious salmon anemia (ISA) in Atlantic salmon farming. Journal of the Royal Society Interface, Vol. 4, pp. 699-706. [pdf]