Following the successful launch of its disease diagnostics laboratory facilities in Bangkok, Thailand in July 2014, Fish Vet Group Asia Ltd has now opened wet laboratory and challenge testing facilities in Chonburi, 90 minutes south-east of Bangkok.

1. F
ollowing the successful launch of
its disease diagnostics laboratory
facilities in Bangkok, Thailand in
July 2014, Fish Vet Group Asia
Ltd has now opened wet laboratory and
challenge testing facilities in Chonburi, 90
minutes south-east of Bangkok.
The facility can accommodate confiden-
tial, replicated growth trials designed to client
specific protocols for freshwater, brackish
water and marine shrimp and fish spe-
cies and both bacterial, for example Vibrio
parahaemolyticus, and viral, including WSSV
challenge tests.
Best bio-security practices
The unit, under the watchful eye of
aquatic veterinarian Dr Leo Galli, is operated
under best biosecurity practices. All incoming
stock are screened at source and regardless
of any accompanying specific pathogen free
(SPF) status certification are only allowed
into the facility after reconfirmation of their
SPF status by conducting tests in the FVG
Asia Ltd disease diagnostics laboratories in
Bangkok.
Additional mandatory practices on site,
include disinfection of incoming water, pipe-
work and facility equipment.
The facilities
A series of 400-litre external nursery
tanks are used to grow seed (shrimp PL’s or
fish fry) to the preferred client stocking size
before transfer into the external grow-out
tank system which consists of 32 200-litre
tanks.
Each grow-out tank has its own internal
bio-filter, and aeration supply and is an indi-
vidual separate bio-secure unit. The grow-
out unit has a double skinned roof and an
external roof water sprinkler system to keep
the ambient temperatures steady and at least
10 degrees centigrade less than the external
midday air temperatures.
Facilities, therefore, are ideal for feed/
growth trial work. Alarms alerting staff to
disruption of the electricity supply, a back-up
petrol generator and switch over back up
air pumps ensure that electrical power is
provided in the rare event of a power cut,
or if there is a failure in any of the in-line air
and water pump systems.
High quality technical
supervision
Day-to-day management of the unit is
under the charge of Dr Andy Shinn, Senior
Scientist, ably supported by three wet lab’
technicians who provide 24-hour operational
coverage when required.
An on-site laboratory is used for the
preparation and evaluation of test diets, the
evaluation and monitoring of stocked animals,
preparation of samples for histology, and,
the testing of routine water quality includ-
ing pH, ammonia, nitrate, nitrite, salinity and
dissolved oxygen. Automatic data loggers
routinely record water and air temperature
and light intensity – this system will shortly
be upgraded to the automated and real time
iWise environmental monitoring system in the
coming weeks.
Challenge tests
The facility has two challenge test suites
for both bacteriology and virology-based
work among other trial work. As with the
external system, the rooms allow for the
bespoke needs of each trial, but each can
accommodate, for example, between 24 to
GROWTH TRIAL AND CHALLENGE
TESTING FACILITY OPENS IN THAILAND
New facility can accommodate confidential, replicated growth trials designed to client
specific protocols for freshwater, brackish water and marine shrimp and fish species
18 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | September-October 2015
FEATURE

2. 200 one to 20 litre, individually-aerated, test
vessels.
This system allows for the responses
of individual animals to be determined to
client agreed challenge protocols including
immersion, injection and via feed presenta-
tion. Recent trial work has included toxicity/
safety trials (for example, LC50 and MIC) and
diet choice palatability trials for Benchmark
Holdings PLC and external contract clients.
All viral and bacterial challenge activities
are all conducted under the technical supervi-
sion of Dr Pikul Jiravanichpaisal supported by
disease diagnostics technicians, Paan and Meen.
Client and supplier confidence
Our relationship with our clients and
satisfactory service provision is paramount,
says Don Griffiths, the Operations Director at
FVG Asia Ltd.
FVG Asia Ltd provides quality technical
input, staffing, system design and biosecurity
procedures and its contractual obligation to its
clients provides for repeating any trial at our
cost if equipment failure or mis-management
leads to an unusable outcome.
This guarantee has provided feed and feed
additive manufacturers the confidence that
has secured bookings for the FVG Asia Ltd
wet lab and challenge test facilities for several
months ahead.
September-October 2015 | INTERNATIONAL AQUAFEED | 19
FEATURE