Degree Final Project defended by Andrea Marcos Baqueiro

July 6^th, 2022

Aquaculture is a growing sector whose aim is the production of aquatic organisms such as animals and plants. Currently, infectious diseases are a great challenge for this sector. Therefore, it is necessary not only to implement prophylactic measures, but also to have diagnostic methods to obtain reliable results in a short period of time and at low cost. Among the most relevant pathogens in health surveillance in aquaculture, some species such as Vibrio alginolyticus, Vibrio anguillarum and Vibrio harvey stand out for representing a serious problem when it comes to their detection and precise identification required to obtain an accurate diagnosis. For this reason, the present work proposes the development and evaluation of six real-time PCR protocols for these Vibrio species. Out of these, due to technical and/or time limitations, four protocols have been completed (three SYBR Green PCR protocols and one specific probe PCR protocol) that have undergone a small-scale validation process based on field samples. The results of this study highlight the importance to carry out an exhaustive in silico, laboratory and validation study prior to the implementation of any real-time PCR technique for Vibrio sp. For ichthyo-pathological diagnosis