Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals (2003)

FOREWORD

---

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) is an intergovernmental organisation that was established in 1924 in order to promote world animal health. Its main activities are as follows:
 

1	To collect and disseminate to its Member Countries, information (including emergency information) on the occurrence, course and treatment of animal diseases.
2	To provide guidelines and standards for health regulations applicable to international trade in animals.
3	To promote and co-ordinate research on the pathology, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of animal diseases when international collaboration in such research is desirable.

Aquatic animals are included in the concept of 'animals' above. Diagnostic procedures for some aquatic animal diseases used to be included in the OIE International Animal Health Code (1986 edition), but it became clear that separate publications specific to aquatic animal health were needed. The reasons are that the conditions, problems and requirements in this field are different to those encountered in other animals, and that international trade in aquatic animals and their products is intensifying and increasing in importance.
 
The purpose of this Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals (referred to hereafter as the Aquatic Manual) is to provide a uniform approach to the diagnosis of the diseases listed in the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Code (referred to hereafter as the Aquatic Code), so that the requirements for health certification in connection with trade in aquatic animals and aquatic animal products, can be met.
 
Although many publications exist on the diagnosis and control of aquatic animal diseases, the Aquatic Manual is a key document describing the methods that can be applied to the OIE-listed diseases in aquatic animal health laboratories all over the world, thus increasing efficiency and promoting improvements in aquatic animal health world-wide.
 
The task of compiling the Aquatic Manual was assigned to the OIE Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission (Aquatic Animals Commission), and all the chapters were circulated to OIE Member Countries for comments and revision. The Aquatic Manual will be continually revised and updated as new information on aquatic animal diseases in general, and new emerging diseases in particular, becomes available. It is intended to publish a new edition every two years; intermittent changes will be available on the OIE Web site.
 

Dr Bernard Vallat	Dr Eva-Maria Bernoth
Director General, OIE	President, Aquatic Animals Commission

[retour au début]

Copyright Office international des épizooties (OIE) - scientific.dept@oie.int