North Carolina Sea Grant researchers have identified naturally occurring antibiotics in channel catfish that may be a promising indicator for monitoring fish health in the expanding aquaculture industry nationwide. From this scientists hope to develop a commercial stress test instrument. Nonspecific immunity protects against many different diseases at once.
Specific immunity protects against only a single pathogen.
This stress caused a significant decline in HLP levels in the skin without any visibly apparent change in the health of the fish. This suggests that HLPs could alert farmers when their fish are at risk for becoming sick, but before any visible clues are present. So these HLPs appear to be everywhere. This is significant because it suggests that HLPs may be important in protecting against many diseases. The identification of a stress test usable in the field would be important for the aquaculture industry where fish are reared under very high stocking densities, offering potential for disease outbreaks.