Honeybees and shrimp are being vaccinated in a growing effort to protect important agricultural species from costly diseases.
The first vaccine for honeybees received conditional approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2023 and is now being used on farms in the United States and Canada. The company behind the vaccine, Dalan Animal Health, recently announced promising early results from a new vaccine being developed for shrimp.
Unlike humans and other vertebrates, insects and shrimp do not have adaptive immune systems. However, researchers have found that invertebrates can pass immune protection to their offspring through inherited biological changes.
The honeybee vaccine helps protect against American foulbrood, a disease that kills bee larvae. For shrimp, early laboratory tests showed vaccinated offspring had significantly higher survival rates when exposed to deadly bacterial and viral infections.
Honeybees and shrimp are being vaccinated because disease outbreaks can cause major financial losses for farmers and producers. Researchers say successful vaccines could reduce the need for antibiotics and improve the health of valuable agricultural species.
Dalan Animal Health plans to begin field trials for the shrimp vaccine in Southeast Asia as it seeks regulatory approval.