Zaneboy,
Your post packed a lot of different topics. It is a post of broad-sweeping generalities that makes 'It otherwise.'
For instance, you wrote:
I have read multiple studies that suggest the mechanisms that drive the immune response of the unfortunate hosts as being an "unknown".
I'm not disputing that you read this, just that what you read represents mis-information. You respond that I was saying another absolute: we have absolute total knowledge. How about the in-between? These absolute statements are really annoying to me. It is one of the things 'wrong' in this hobby. People like the shock factor of an absolute statement. Although the fish immune system is not fully understood, it is far from being an unknown. Actual antibodies can be measured (titre), created, and studied, and this is far from being a true 'unknown.' You chose specifically the phrase, "mechanisms that drive the immune response" which is again very broad (and incorrect). It's basic protein--antibody biology.
Another instance, you wrote:
It could be these natural defense mechanisms that are the basis for a successful vaccine.
It could be, but it is not likely without genetic modifications. The 'natural defense mechanism' of fish is poor, but minimally sufficient to allow their survival in the wild. What we want is their survival in a captive environment with artificial foods. Their immune system for the most part, is not up for this challenge.
Another instance, you wrote:
With more commercial industries opening up that farm raise food fish, money to drive research will come available.
Certainly. But it sounds like there are no funds now. Far from it. Millions are being poured into research and in these last 10 years, fish are being genetically controlled to put weight on faster and more efficiently. Fish vaccines are being administered to food fishes. Food fish are given injections to improve egg production on a massive scale (i.e., injecting fish hormones and other fish proteins).
A last instance, you wrote:
It just doesn't seem that knowledge of the pathological characteristics of this parasite is as complete as you suggest.
You have a very limited source of incorrect information. What it may or may not seem to you is one thing, but in this concept, most everything is known. I suggest, as Steven Pro has posted, that the 'pathological characteristics of this parasite' are quite well known. Maybe you don't know it?
Although I appreciate the thread and information you've shared with us, it is a strain for me to have to read absolute statements that are absolutely wrong and all the things you are mis-informed about. Thus, my previous and heretofore responses (if any) will be very short.
