Scientists have developed a vaccine to protect farmed saltwater crocodiles from a disfiguring virus threatening northern Australia's multi-million dollar leather industry.
The Australian saltwater crocodile is the largest in the world and produces high-quality leather treasured by the most exclusive international fashion houses.
Worth more than $100 million a year, the commercial viability of the industry has been under threat by the mosquito-borne West Nile virus.
Outbreaks of the West Nile virus increase in high rainfall years and cause blemishes and lesions, damaging the potential value of the skins which fetch more than $US9 a centimetre.
Scientists from the University of Queensland have developed a vaccine to protect the industry from the devastating disease.
"Crocs infected with the local strain of WNV, known as Kunjin virus, develop small skin lesions called pix, which renders their hide unsaleable," Dr Jody Hobson-Peters said.
Any potential West Nile infection could affect up to 30 per cent of croc hides, costing the industry as much as $10 million in a single year.
"If we were to experience consecutive years of high rainfall, the virus could render the crocodile farming industry unviable and threaten the current conservation model," Dr Hobson-Peters said.
"It would also disrupt an industry that contributes to Indigenous livelihoods and economic development opportunities in the Northern Territory and Far North Queensland."
The vaccine is based on a benign 'Binjari' virus isolated from Australian mosquitoes and is the first of its kind.
"We have demonstrated that our vaccine induces a robust, immune response in vaccinated animals after two doses," UQ's Professor Roy Hall said
"Crocodiles that received the vaccine developed strong protective immunity against WNV, without the virus replicating."
The success of crocodile farming has led to a surge in the wild crocodile population.
"It's not just an economic threat we're facing - croc farming has played a pivotal role in returning this apex predator from the brink of extinction over the past 60 years," Dr Sally Isberg from the NT's Centre for Crocodile Research said.
The research team is working with the Australian veterinary vaccine company Treidlia BioVet, to develop a commercial version of the vaccine.
© AAP 2023