Detection of SJNNV and RGNNV genotypes using a relative quantification RT-PCR assay

Abstract

Viral Encephalopathy and Retinopathy (VER), is caused by a nodavirus included within the Betanodavirus genus of the Nodaviridae family. This disease affects more than 30 marine fish species worldwide and has been a major obstacle in the aquaculture industry; control of the disease is based on virus detection, essentially in carrier specimens. This study describes a real time PCR procedure for viral nervous necrosis virus detection from several organs of sea bass, Senegalese sole, and gilt-head sea bream, from fish displaying either clinical symptoms or asymptomatic cases. The sensitivity of this technique was about 106-fold higher than that of the conventional RT-PCR. The newly designed primers detected nodavirus isolates belonging to the RGNNV and SJNNV genotypes. © 2010 Blackwell Verlag, Berlin.