This project will develop multiplex qPCR assays and an iiPCR assay covering three MAISRC priority harmful microbes.
Background:
This project addresses the long-standing need to enhance and streamline surveillance tests for certifiable pathogens, including those legally mandated for testing, as well as emergency and emerging pathogens relevant to fisheries managers in Minnesota. The focus is on four priority species of harmful microbes identified by MAISRC: viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus, largemouth bass virus, Renibacterium salmoninarum, and Myxobolus cerebralis.
These pathogens have been documented to cause diseases in wild fish populations in the Great Lakes region. Moreover, they are subject to management protocols related to fish importation and stocking by at least one state agency in the region. The Great Lakes Fish Health Committee’s Model program designates them as restricted pathogens. This group of pathogens encompasses bacterial, viral, and parasitic fish pathogens of non-native origins, for which state agency fisheries and private aquaculture professionals currently have a diagnostic testing obligation. The project specifically aims to develop a simplified set of multiplexed quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays. These assays are intended to serve as a surveillance tool complementing gold standard confirmatory tests, such as culture, visual, and immunologic methods.
Activities:
- Development and validation of a salmonid multiplexed assay for 3 bacterial pathogens (R. salmoninarum, A. salmonicida, Y. ruckeri) – Assay 1
- Development and validation of a salmonid multiplexed assay for 2 parasitic pathogens (M. cerebralis, C. Shasta) – Assay 2
- Development and validation of a coolwater multiplexed assay for 2 viral and 1 parasitic pathogen (VHSV, LMBV and heterosporis) – Assay 3