Invention:
Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) with strong and specific immunoreactivity have been developed to improve the detection of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in marine shrimp. This involves cloning and expressing recombinant PirA and PirB protein using a bacterial expression system and developing mAbs against those proteins. These monoclonal antibodies could be used for developing point-of-care diagnostics such as a lateral flow immunoassay strip in the future for detecting AHPND in shrimp aquaculture.
Background:
Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is a lethal disease in large scale shrimp aquaculture that causes many mortalities resulting in economic losses primarily in Asia and the Americas. AHPND is caused by pathogenic Vibrio sp. and Micrococcus luteus carrying binary toxin genes, pirA and pirB in a plasmid DNA. Although numerous tests have been developed to detect AHPND, the majority rely on molecular-based assays. As a result, monoclonal antibody (mAb) based assays were developed as a point-of-care diagnostics to detect AHPND offering high specificity and rapid detection.
Applications:
- AHPND diagnostics
- Shrimp disease management
- Shrimp aquaculture
- Point-of-care diagnostic development
Advantages:
- More consistent diagnosis
- Higher specificity in AHPND diagnosis
- Earlier disease detection
