Development of immunodot blot assay for the detection of white spot syndrome virus infection in shrimps (Penaeus monodon)

The VP 28 gene encoding a structural envelope protein of the white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) was cloned into a pET32a(+) expression vector for the production of the recombinant VP28 protein. A purified recombinant protein of 39.9 kDa size was used for polyclonal antibody production in rabbit. Specific immunoreactivity of the rabbit anti rVP28 antiserum to the viral antigen was confirmed by a Western blot. The specificity of this polyclonal anti‐rVP28 antiserum to detect the presence of the virus in WSSV‐infected Penaeus monodon was verified using a immunodot blot assay. Immunodot blot showed a positive reaction in infected shrimp tissues with prominent colour development using 3,3′,5,5′‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) as a chromogenic substrate when compared with 3–3′ diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (DAB). Highest signal intensities of the immunodots were observed in infected shrimp pleopod extracts and haemolymph. On comparison with polymerase chain reaction (PCR), immunodot blot could detect 76% of PCR‐positive WSSV‐infected shrimp samples. Immunodot blot was found to be equivalent to first‐step PCR sensitivity to detect WSSV particles estimated to contain 1.0 × 10⁵ viral DNA copies.     

High‐throughput identification and quantification of Vagococcus salmoninarum by SYBR Green I‐based real‐time PCR combined with melting curve analysis

This work describes a primer pair and a high‐throughput SYBR Green I‐based real‐time PCR protocol combined with melting curve analysis for identification and quantification of Vagococcus salmoninarum in bacterial cultures and infected fish tissues. The 16S rRNA gene was selected for the design of the primer pair (SalF and SalR). The sensitivity and specificity of this primer pair were compared with other previously designed for conventional PCR. Although both primer pairs showed 100% specificity using pure bacterial cultures or DNA extracted from bacteria or fish tissues, the primer pairs designed in this study showed the highest sensitivity with a detection limit of 0.034 × 10⁰ amplicon copies per assay (equivalent to 2 × 10^?11 ng/µl, C_q value of 30.49 ± 1.71). The developed qPCR protocol allowed the detection of V. salmoninarum in non‐lethal and lethal fish samples with detection levels of 0.17 × 10⁰ gene copies in tissues artificially infected and 0.02 × 10⁰ in tissues of fish experimentally infected with V. salmoninarum. The high sensitivity of the developed method suggests that it could be considered as a useful tool for diagnosis of vagococcosis and the detection of V. salmoninarum in asymptomatic or carrier fish.     

Inhibitory effects of Bacillus licheniformis (DAB1) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (DAP1) against Vibrio parahaemolyticus isolated from Fenneropenaeus indicus

In aquaculture industries, there is an urgent need to develop microbial control strategies, to control disease outbreaks. In recent years, probiotics are considered as a valid alternative for the use of antibiotics in aquaculture to prevent high mortality and promote growth. In the present study, seven strains of bacteria such as Bacillus licheniformis (DAB1), Bacillus pumilus (DAB2), Bacillus sp. (DAB3), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (DAP1), Pseudomonas sp. (DAP2), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (DAP3), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (DAP4), and three pathogenic Vibrio parahaemolyticus (DAV1, DAV2, DAV3) were isolated from healthy and diseased Fenneropenaeus indicus collected from the east coast of Tamilnadu, India. The strains were identified by biochemical analysis and 16S rRNA sequence methods. Among the seven probiotic strains tested, the cell-free extract from DAB1 and DAP1 exhibited higher inhibitory activity of V. parahaemolyticus than other isolates under in vitro conditions. The LC₅₀ of DAV1, DAV2, and DAV3 was found to be ～10³ CFU mL^?1. Pathogenicity of three V. parahaemolyticus DAV1, DAV2, and DAV3 showed significant mortalities (40 %) in Artemia nauplii at inoculation densities of 10³ CFU mL^?1 when compared to the controls (unchallenged nauplii). A significant reduction in mortality (P < 0.001) was found by addition of 10⁶ CFU mL^?1 of DAB1 and DAP1 strains in nauplii against the pathogens. In conclusion, the present study result reveals that DAB1 and DAP1 have potential applications for controlling pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus in Artemia culture systems and aquaculture practices.     

一株湖北源大口黑鲈蛙病毒的分离鉴定

采用电子显微镜观察和细胞培养等技术, 从湖北黄陂某养殖场患病大口黑鲈(Micropterus salmoides)体内发现并分离到一株蛙病毒。患病大口黑鲈的临床症状主要表现为体表出血、溃疡, 肝脏发白。将病鱼内脏组织匀浆超微滤液接种鳜脑细胞系(mandarin fish brain, MFB)细胞能产生典型细胞病变效应(cytopathic effect, CPE), 病毒滴度达到 10^8.36±0.15 TCID₅₀/mL。细胞培养病毒的超薄切片电镜观察结果显示, 细胞质中存在大量直径约为 150 nm 左右的正六边形病毒粒子, 呈晶格排列。细胞培养病毒的人工感染大口黑鲈试验结果显示, 7 d 内试验鱼死亡率高达 100%, 其临床症状与自然发病鱼相似。采用大口黑鲈病毒(largemouth bass virus, LMBV)的特异性 PCR 检测方法对患病鲈组织样品和细胞培养病毒样品进行检测, 均能扩增出 241 bp 的单一目的条带。进一步根据 GenBank 中 LMBV 主衣壳蛋白(major capsid protein, MCP)基因序列设计特异性引物, 均能从上述样品中扩增出 1392 bp 的 MCP 基因开放阅读框(open reading frame, ORF)全长。将 MCP 氨基酸全序列进行比对, 结果显示其与 Santee-Cooper 蛙病毒、孔雀鱼病毒 6 型及大口黑鲈溃疡综合征病毒的 MCP 氨基酸序列同源性高达 100%。系统进化结果显示, 与感染鱼类的虹彩病毒科蛙病毒属病毒, 如鳜鱼蛙病毒、Santee-Cooper 蛙病毒、孔雀鱼病毒 6 型和大口黑鲈溃疡综合征病毒等聚成一支。这些结果证明, 该分离株为虹彩病毒科蛙病毒属的成员, 暂命名为大口黑鲈蛙病毒(largemouth bass ranavirus, LMBRaV)湖北株 LMBRaV-HB001。病毒敏感细胞系筛选试验结果表明, 病毒 LMBRaV-HB001 感染鲤上皮瘤细胞(epithelioma papulosum cyprinid, EPC)、草鱼性腺细胞(grass carp ovary, GCO)、大鲵肌肉细胞(giant salamander muscle, GSM)和鲫脑组织细胞(gibel carp brain, GiCB)均能产生典型 CPE, 病毒滴度可达 10^8.0 TCID₅₀/mL 以上。本研究首次在湖北省养殖大口黑鲈体内分离与鉴定了 LMBRaV 病毒, 建立了病毒的细胞培养方法, 为进一步研究该病毒的传播、诊断和防控技术提供了重要参考。     

Development of a real‐time PCR assay for detection and quantification of Streptococcus iniae using the lactate permease gene

The aim of this study is the development and evaluation of a rapid and accurate quantitative PCR (qPCR)‐based protocol for detection of zoonotic pathogen Streptococcus iniae in bacterial cultures and tissues of diseased fish. For this purpose, the lactate permease‐encoding (lldY) gene was selected as a target for the design of S. iniae‐specific primers based on comparative genomic analysis using 45 sequences retrieved from NCBI genome database. Specificity and applicability of these primers were tested using 115 bacterial strains and fish tissues infected with S. iniae. Sensitivity, reproducibility and efficiency of qPCR assay were also determined. The developed qPCR assay showed 100% specificity with pure bacterial cultures or DNA extracted from S. iniae or tissues of fish infected with the bacterium. The method has high sensitivity with a detection limit of 1.12 × 10¹ amplicon copies per assay (equivalent to 2 × 10^–9 ng/µl) using bacterial DNA and of 1.44 × 10¹ gene copies in tissues of fish infected with S. iniae. In conclusion, this qPCR protocol provides an accurate and sensitive alternative for the identification of S. iniae and its detection on fish tissues that can be implemented as a routine tool in microbiological laboratories.     

Establishment and characterization of a heart-derived cell line from goldfish (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Carassius auratus</Emphasis>)

The goldfish Carassius auratus, a freshwater fish in the family Cyprinidae, was one of the earliest fish to be domesticated for ornamental purposes. A cell line was established from goldfish heart (GH) tissue to create a biological monitoring tool for viral diseases. The GH cell line was optimally maintained at 25 °C in M199 medium supplemented with 10–20% fetal bovine serum. A chromosomal analysis indicated that the cell line remained diploid, with a mean chromosomal count of 100. In viral inoculation assays, significant cytopathic effects (CPEs) were caused by epizootic hematopoietic necrosis virus (EHNV), Andrias davidianus iridovirus (ADIV), and Bohle iridovirus (BIV) infections in the fish cells and the viral titers (average value) of EHNV, ADIV, and BIV in GH cells reached 10^5.0, 10^4.5, and 10^5.0 TCID₅₀/0.1 mL, respectively, within 7 days. However, no CPE was observed in the cells infected with viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV), infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV), channel catfish virus (CCV), or grass carp reovirus (GCRV). These results suggest that the GH cell line is a valuable tool for studying viral pathogenesis.     

Use of cloned cDNA probes for diagnosis of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus infections

Abstract. A dot-blot hybridization test has been developed for the detection of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) in infected fish. For this purpose, cloning of the dsRNA of the West Buxton strain of IPNV was carried out. Two cDNA clones (WB and A4) were characterized for use as diagnostic probes and corresponded to IPNV genome segments A and B. respectively. Clone WB1, with an insert of 812 base pairs, showed an 87 and 77% nuclcotidc sequence homology with the corresponding sequences of Jasper and N1 strains, respectively. Clone A4, with an insert size of 596bp, presented a nuclcotidc sequence homology of 90 and 80% with the corresponding sequences of the Jasper and Sp strains, respectively. Both probes were able to detect 15 ng of purified dsRNA, and were highly efficient in detecting the RNA of American IPNV strains. However, the A4 probe was less effective than WB1 in hybridizing to RNA from European and Spanish strains of IPNV. Both probes detected IPNV RNA in cells 4–8h post-infection with the homologous West Buxton strain, 8–12h post-infection with other American strains and 24h post-infection with the European strains of IPNV. The method was less sensitive in detecting IPNV RNA directly in infected fish tissues. However, the present authors obtained a 100% effectiveness to detect viral RNA in cells inoculated with fish tissues confirmed by conventional diagnostic methods as being infected with IPNV. Therefore, the hybridization test is appropriate if combined with conventional diagnostic procedures, e.g. applying the dot blot hybridization test on tissue cultures 12–24 h after inoculation with infected fish tissue homogenates.     

An experimental means of transmitting pancreas disease in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. fry in freshwater

A challenge model for pancreas disease in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. fry, was developed comparing two salmonid alphavirus (SAV) subtypes: SAV1 and SAV5. Viral doses of 3 × 10⁵ TCID₅₀ mL⁻¹ for SAV1 and 3 × 10⁴ for SAV5 were tested in triplicate tanks, each containing 450 salmon fry. Cumulative mortalities of 1.2% were recorded. Titres of virus recovered from the mortalities ranged from 10² to 10⁷ TCID₅₀ mL⁻¹. Fry were sampled at 3, 5 and 7.5 weeks post-challenge. Sampling after 3 weeks revealed a high prevalence of infection in the absence of clinical signs, and infectious virus was recovered from 80% and 43% of sampled fry infected with SAV1 and SAV5, respectively. After 5 weeks pancreas, heart and red skeletal muscle lesions were generally observed, whilst degeneration in white skeletal muscle was observed only in fish infected with SAV1. In situ hybridisation confirmed the presence of viral genome in infected pancreas, heart and muscle. After 7.5 weeks, infectious virus (both isolates) was recovered from 13.3% of the fish sampled, with a viral titre of 10² TCID₅₀ mL⁻¹. Clearly, salmon fry are susceptible to SAV infection and pancreas disease.     

Infection of the yellow head baculo-like virus (YBV) in two species of penaeid shrimp, Penaeus stylirostris (Stimpson) and Penaeus vannamei (Boone)

Abstract. Yellow head baculo-like virus infection and disease were demonstrated experimentally in the two main species of penaeid shrimp cultured in Hawaii and the Western hemisphere. Viral infection was induced by intramuscular inoculation of a 10% suspension of cephalothorax tissue filtrate prepared from two tiger shrimp, Penaeus monodon Fabricius, infected with yellow head disease, into sub-adult (3–10g) P. stylirostris (Stimpson) and P. vannamei (Boone). Signs of disease appeared as early as 2 days post infection (p.i.), and in most cases mortality reached 100% within 5–7 days p.i. Histopathological examination of the infected animals revealed extensive cellular necrosis in ectodermal and some mesenchymal tissues. Electron microscopical examination of thin sections of the gill and hepatopancreas from the infected shrimp revealed non-occluded rod-shaped baculo-like virus particles measuring 130–197 & 45–58 nm which were primarily localized within the cytoplasm of infected cells. The virus particles were contained within cytoplasmic vacuoles, and occurred singly or in small groups of two or more particles.     

Studies on the inactivation of selected viral and bacterial fish pathogens at high pH for waste disposal purposes

This study investigated the use of alkaline hydrolysis at ambient temperature for inactivation of selected fish pathogens in fish tissues under conditions approximating those that are likely to be found in the aquaculture industry. Infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV) and Lactococcus garvieae have been determined in a previous study to be the most resistant virus and bacteria to pH 12 from a wide range of viruses and bacteria tested. They were spiked at high titres into fish extracts that were then treated with 1 m sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Viable L. garvieae was not detected in the treated fish extract after 1 h, and ISAV was not detected after 24‐h exposure. Field mortalities of Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L., caused by infectious pancreatic necrosis virus were treated by alkaline hydrolysis at ambient temperature. The macerated fish mortalities contained a high titre of virus (3.38 × 10⁸ TCID₅₀ g^?1) that was reduced to approximately 2.2 × 10³ TCID₅₀ g^?1 after 24‐h exposure to NaOH, and virus was not detected after exposure for 48 h. The results suggest that alkaline hydrolysis at ambient temperature has potential as a biosecure treatment method for fish by‐products containing fish pathogens.     

小轴海绵小球细胞的3,3′-二氨基联苯胺染色标记法研究

中国南海小轴海绵(Axinell sp.)体内含有2种活性生物碱:debromobymenialdisine(DBH)和hymenialdisine(HD),这2种生物碱位于小轴海绵中的特定类型细胞--小球细胞中.针对该类细胞建立1种特异性的染色标记.可以为细胞分化提供指示,并应用于细胞体外培养的代谢调控研究中.3,3'-二氨基联苯胺(DAB)染色是一种常用的过氧化物酶染色法,本研究通过对小轴海绵实施细胞分离并对不同类别的细胞进行DAB染色,证明了小球细胞具有颗粒状着染的特征;对各类细胞和海绵组织的蛋白提取物进行了非变性聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳(native-PAGE),考察各组分中与DAB作用的过氧化物酶条带;通过电镜观察揭示了小球细胞的2种内含体,发现其中的大内含体与光镜下的染色颗粒在形态和数量上存在对应关系;另外,在细胞体外培养体系(细胞团培养)中应用了DAB染色,在20 d的培养期间内,颗粒状着染细胞与小球细胞的比例同步变化,小球细胞的特征着染率保持在93%以上.综合上述结果,可认为小轴海绵组织和细胞体外培养过程中的小球细胞均具有DAB颗粒状着染的显著特征,该染色法对于该类细胞而言是一种可靠的细胞化学染色标记方法.     

TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction assay for rapid detection of Flavobacterium columnare

Flavobacterium columnare is a ubiquitous Gram-negative bacterium that causes columnaris disease in a wide variety of fish worldwide. Timely detection of this bacterium is important to prevent its spreading and to reduce the economic loss to fish farmers. We developed a TaqMan-based real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting a 113 bp nucleotide region of the chondroitin AC lyase gene of F. columnare G₄. Specificity of the assay evaluated with 20 isolates of F. columnare and 15 other taxonomically or ecologically related bacteria revealed that the primers and probe were 100% specific for detection of F. columnare. The sensitivity limit of detection of F. columnare in pure cultures, over a range of dilutions [3.1 × 10⁰–3.1 × 10⁶ colony-forming units (CFU) mL⁻¹], was observed to be ∼3 bacterial cells. The lowest limit of detection in nucleic acids from pure culture of F. columnare was 5.4 fg and the assay was linear with the log of amount of nucleic acid (R²=0.994) over that range (5.4 ng–5.4 fg). In tissues (blood, gills and kidney) of F. columnare experimentally infected fish, the bacterial numbers measured by TaqMan real-time PCR ranged from 3.4 × 10⁰ to 9.5 × 10⁵ CFU mL⁻¹. In both F. columnare experimentally infected and spiked samples, positive PCR results were confirmed by bacteriological culture with 100% agreement. The TaqMan real-time PCR developed in this study is specific, sensitive and reproducible for the detection and quantitation of F. columnare in infected fish.     

Persistent infections in salmonid fish cells with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV)*

Abstract. Two cell lines that are persistently infected with IPN virus have been established. Viral persistence in the cultures was demonstrated by the detection of infectious virus (10²-10^5,5 TCID/ml₅₀) in the culture fluids, by specific immunofluorescence, and by their resistance to superinfection by homologous virus. The growth, rate of these cells was indistinguishable from normal, uninfected cells. Virus stocks harvested from persistently infected cultures contained a greater proportion of defective, interfering particles than those from lytically infected cells which suggests that these particles may be responsible for the maintenance of these carrier cultures.     

The route of entry and progression of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus in Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum): a sequential immunohistochemical study

Abstract. Steelhead trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum), fry were experimentally infected with infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) Round Butte 1983 (Type 1). Fry were sampled daily, before and during the epizootic. Fish tissues were tested for infectious virus by tissue culture assay and for IHNV nucleocapsid protein by alkaline phosphatase immunohistochemistry (APIH). The progression of virus through the tissues was followed by APIH until the fourteenth day. Viral infection progressed from two major sites: from the gills into the circulatory system; and from the oral region into the gastrointestinal tract and then into the circulatory system. Once in the blood, virus was disseminated to virtually every organ. Progression of IHNV within and between organs is discussed.     

Establishment of a new cell line from the heart of giant grouper,Epinephelus lanceolatus (Bloch), and its application in toxicology and virus susceptibility

A new marine fish cell line, derived from the heart of giant grouper, Epinephelus lanceolatus (Bloch), was established and characterized. The cell line was designated as ELGH and subcultured with more than 60 passages. The ELGH cells were mainly composed of fibroblast-like cells and multiplied well in Leibovitz's L-15 medium supplemented with 10% foetal bovine serum (FBS) at 28 °C. Chromosome analysis indicated that the modal chromosome number was 48. The fluorescent signals were detected in ELGH when transfected with green fluorescent protein reporter plasmids. The 50% cytotoxic concentration (CC₅₀) of the extracellular products (ECPs) from Streptococcus iniae and Vibrio alginolyticus E333 on ELGH cells was 60.02 and 12.49 μg mL⁻¹, respectively. Moreover, the ELGH cells showed susceptibility to Singapore grouper iridovirus (SGIV), but not to soft-shelled turtle iridovirus (STIV), red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) and spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV), which was demonstrated by the presence of a severe cytopathic effect (CPE) and increased viral titres. In addition, electron microscopy observation showed that abundant virus particles were present in the infected cells. Taken together, our data above provided the potential utility of ELGH cells for transgenic and genetic manipulation, as well as cytotoxicity testing and virus pathogenesis.     

Purification of white spot syndrome virus by iodixanol density gradient centrifugation

Up to now, only a few brief procedures for purifying white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) have been described. They were mainly based on sucrose, NaBr and CsCl density gradient centrifugation. This work describes for the first time the purification of WSSV through iodixanol density gradients, using virus isolated from infected tissues and haemolymph of Penaeus vannamei (Boone). The purification from tissues included a concentration step by centrifugation (2.5 h at 60 000  g ) onto a 50% iodixanol cushion and a purification step by centrifugation (3 h at 80 000  g ) through a discontinuous iodixanol gradient (phosphate‐buffered saline, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20%). The purification from infected haemolymph enclosed a dialysis step with a membrane of 1 000 kDa (18 h) and a purification step through the earlier iodixanol gradient. The gradients were collected in fractions and analysed. The number of particles, infectivity titre (in vivo), total protein and viral protein content were evaluated. The purification from infected tissues gave WSSV suspensions with a very high infectivity and an acceptable purity, while virus purified from haemolymph had a high infectivity and a very high purity. Additionally, it was observed that WSSV has an unusually low buoyant density and that it is very sensitive to high external pressures.