Asia Diagnostic Guide to Aquatic Animal Diseases
The Asia Diagnostic Guide to Aquatic Animal Diseases or 'Asia Diagnostic Guide' is a comprehensive, up-datable diagnostic guide for the pathogens and diseases listed in the NACA/FAO/OIE Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Reporting System including a number of other diseases which are significant in the Asia region. It was developed from technical contributions of members of the Regional Working Group (RWG) and Technical Support Services (TSS) and other aquatic animal health scientists in the Asia-Pacific region who supported the Asia-PacificRegional Aquatic Animal Health Management Programme. The objective was to produce an Asia diagnostic guide, that could be of specific use in the region, for both farm and laboratory level diagnostics, to complement the Manual of Procedures for the implementation of the "Asia Regional Technical Guidelines on Health Management for the Responsible Movement of Live Aquatic Animals".
This Asia Diagnostic Guide could then be used to expand national and regional aquatic animal health diagnostic capabilities that will assist countries in upgrading technical capacities to meet the requirements in the OIE International Aquatic Animal Code (Third Edition) and the OIE Diagnostic Manual for Aquatic Animal Diseases (Third Edition) and WTO's Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (SPS), and in support of relevant provisions in the FAO's Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries. The information in the Asia Diagnostic Guide is presented in a format that spans from gross observations at the pond or farm site (Level 1), to guidance for information on technologically advanced molecular or ultrastructural diagnostics and laboratory analyses (Levels II and III, and OIE aquatic animal health standards), thus, taking into account international, regional, and national variations in disease concerns, as well as varying levels of diagnostic capability between countries of the Asia-Pacific region.
Key Words: Asia, Aquaculture, Diagnostics, Health Management, Aquatic Animal Diseases, Guidelines, Disease Reporting