THE USE OF AN INFECTIOUS HYPODERMAL AND HEMATOPOIETIC NECROSIS VIRUS GENE PROBE SERODIAGNOSTIC FIELD KIT FOR THE SCREENING OF CANDIDATE SPECIFIC PATHOGEN-FREE PENAEUS-VANNAMEI BROODSTOCK

An experimental non-lethal serodiagnostic kit was evaluated for screen ing candidate specific pathogen-free (SPF) Penaeus vannamei broodstock under typical field conditions. In this trial, a total of 26 adult P. vannamei was screened for the presence of infectious hypodermal and h ematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) using an IHHNV dot blot field kit. The non-radioactive IHHNV in situ hybridization method was used as a standard for comparison. The results showed a significant relationship between the outcome of the dot blot kit and the outcome of the in sit u method. In particular, the test results using the experimental kit w ere consistent with the in situ hybridization method. Based on these f indings, the experimental serodiagnostic kit may provide a more rapid, cost-effective diagnostic method than traditional techniques for IHHN V detection.