Tenter de maîtriser les maladies infectieuses chez les mollusques : une clé pour une aquaculture durable

The world halieutic production reached 133 million tons in 2002. The part of aquaculture in the world halieutic production grew from 25.8% to 29.9% between 1998 and 2002. Over the same period, if the fishing production increased by 6.3%, the aquacultural production progressed by 30%. According to the FAO, the world fish, mollusc and crustacea consumption could be around 179 million tons by 2015. Most of this new demand will have to be satisfied by aquaculture. By 2015, aquaculture could represent 39% of the world halieutic production. Infectious diseases may influence the survival, but also the growth and zootechnical performances of cultivated animals. As a matter of fact, they are hazards that have to be taken into account and mastered. Aquaculture, as any other breeding activity has to face this hazard. For the past decades, the strong increase in aquacultural production, in exploited species and in their trade for commercial purposes has come hand in hand with an increase in the number and distribution of infectious diseases. In this context, infectious diseases in aquaculture are a priority. Different types of approaches and/or tools can be used in order to try and lessen the economical impact of the infectious diseases on aquaculture. They include: (1) the identification and knowledge of infectious agents, (2) the surveillance of stocks and a strong control of the transfers of the animals and their products within a legal framework, (3) the understanding of the interactions between the host (especially the defence mechanisms), the infectious agent and the environment, (4) the modelisation of the appearance and persistence of infectious diseases (5) the introduction of appropriate fighting and protection measures, including the selection of animals who can resist or tolerate infectious diseases. ...