To design a specific recombinant vaccine against the aquaculture pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum using the Phage display technology and evaluate its effectiveness in specimens of rainbow trout.

1.- To determine the specific(s) protein antigen(s) produced by F. psychrophilum cells up-regulated in vitro and in vivo during infection in rainbow trout specimens. 2.- To determine the patterns of gene expressions involved in the immune response and therefore develop molecular markers to detect this/these gene(s) in rainbow trout. 3.- To isolate and identify an antigen or a library of antigens to induce the immune response in rainbow trout against F. psychrophilum. 4.- To determine the patterns of genes expression of selected antigens involved in the immune response in rainbow trout and to develop molecular markers (RT-PCR) to detect them. 5.- To clone the bacteriophage T7 with selected antigens and evaluate the heterologous immunogenic antigens produced by F. psychrophilum in rainbow trout. 6.- To evaluate the stability of the recombinant T7 phages against different environmental conditions (i.e. pH and temperature). 7.- To develop and validate the phage display using a technique without injection to prevent the infections caused by F. psychrophilum in rainbow trout by challenge under laboratory conditions.