TREATMENT OF WATER LIVING ANIMAL

摘要

A process is described for the introduction of health and/or welfare modifying agents, such as vaccines, to water-living animals such as fish. The health and/or welfare modifying agents are introduced into and across an epithelial membrane, such as the gill membrane, of the water-living animal by contacting the animal with the vaccine and then subjecting the animal to a negative pressure differential followed by a rapid release of the negative pressure, by contacting the epithelial membrane with a hyperosmotic concentration of a membrane permeability altering agent, either simultaneously with or prior to contacting the animal with the health and/or welfare modifying agent, or by contacting the epithelial membrane with a hyperosmotic concentration of a membrane permeability altering agent either simultaneously with or prior to contacting the animal with the health and/or welfare modifying agent followed by subjecting the animal to a negative pressure differential and then a rapid release of the negative pressure. Subjecting the animal to a negative pressure differential followed by a rapid release of the negative pressure results in a forceful infiltration of the health and/or welfare modifying agent into the body cavities of the animal. The membrane permeability altering agent renders the epithelial membrane reversibly permeable to the health and/or welfare modifying agent. Effective membrane permeability altering agents include chemical compounds having a molecular weight of about 58 to about 61, with the most preferred membrane permeability altering agents being selected from the group consisting of acetamide, urea, sodium chloride and mixtures thereof.