ZIRC Pathogen Panel

In collaboration with the Zebrafish International Resource Center (ZIRC), WADDL is now offering a screening panel for common zebrafish pathogens. This test screens pooled whole fish samples (up to five fish per pool) by PCR for parasites Pseudocapillaria tomentosa, Pseudoloma neurophilia, and Myxidium streisingeri; bacteria Edwardsiella ictaluri and Mycobacterium spp.; and viruses infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) and zebrafish picornavirus.

Information and Performance Metrics for 5-Fish Pooled Samples

PathogenPCRLimit of Detection (gene copy/µl)Pooled Diagnostic SensitivityPooled Diagnostic Specificity
Edwardsiella ictaluriReal-time188100%100%
Primer Publication: Griffin, M.J., Mauel, M.J., Greenway, T.E., Khoo, L.H. and Wise, D.J., 2011. A real‐time polymerase chain reaction assay for quantification of Edwardsiella ictaluri in catfish pond water and genetic homogeneity of diagnostic case isolates from Mississippi. Journal of Aquatic Animal Health, 23(4), pp.178-188.
Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV)Real-time18882%100%
Primer Publication: Koda, S.A., Subramaniam, K., Hick, P.M., Hall, E., Waltzek, T.B. and Becker, J.A., 2023. Partial validation of a TaqMan quantitative polymerase chain reaction for the detection of the three genotypes of Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus. PLoS One, 18(2), p.e0281292.
Mycobacterium spp.Conventional with sequencing
Primer Publication: Drake, W.P., Pei, Z., Pride, D.T., Collins, R.D., Cover, T.L. and Blaser, M.J., 2002. Molecular analysis of sarcoidosis tissues for mycobacterium species DNA. Emerging infectious diseases, 8(11), p.1334.

Roth, A., Reischl, U.D.O., Streubel, A., Naumann, L., Kroppenstedt, R.M., Habicht, M., Fischer, M. and Mauch, H., 2000. Novel diagnostic algorithm for identification of mycobacteria using genus-specific amplification of the 16S-23S rRNA gene spacer and restriction endonucleases. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 38(3), pp.1094-1104.
Myxidium streisingeriReal-time381293%100%
Developed in-house
Myxidium streisingeriReal-time188100%100%
Primer Publication: Norris, L., Lawler, N., Hunkapiller, A., Mulrooney, D.M., Kent, M.L. and Sanders, J.L., 2020. Detection of the parasitic nematode, Pseudocapillaria tomentosa, in zebrafish tissues and environmental DNA in research aquaria. Journal of fish diseases, 43(9), pp.1087-1095.
Pseudoloma neurophiliaReal-time1887%100%
Primer Publication: Norris, L., Lawler, N., Hunkapiller, A., Mulrooney, D.M., Kent, M.L. and Sanders, J.L., 2020. Detection of the parasitic nematode, Pseudocapillaria tomentosa, in zebrafish tissues and environmental DNA in research aquaria. Journal of fish diseases, 43(9), pp.1087-1095.
Zebrafish picornavirusReal-time60687%100%
Primer Publication: Balla KM, Rice MC, Gagnon JA, Elde NC (2020) Linking virus discovery to immune responses visualized during zebrafish infections. Curr Biol 30(11)