title: Identification of an iridovirus in Acetes erythraeus (Sergestidae) and the development of in situ hybridization and PCR method for its detection.
abstract: An iridovirus (tentatively named SIV, sergestid iridovirus) that causes high mortality in the sergestid shrimp, Acetes erythraeus, was found in Madagascar in 2004. Severely affected shrimp exhibit a blue-green opalescence. Histological examination revealed massive cytoplasmic inclusions in the cuticular epithelial cells, connective tissues, ovary and testes. The electron microscopic examination showed paracrystalline arrays of virions at a size of 140nm, suggesting infection with an iridovirus. A pair of PCR primers were selected from the conserved region of the major capsid protein (MCP)-coding sequence among insect iridoviruses and used to amplify a 1.0kb fragment from the infected A. erythraeus. This fragment was cloned, sequenced and found to be highly similar (upto 80% similarity in translated amino acids with an E value of 1e-124) to the MCP of invertebrate iridoviruses. This clone was then labeled with digoxigenin-11-dUTP and hybridized to tissue sections of infected A. erythraeus, which reacted positively to the probe. The reacting tissues included epithelial cells, connective tissues, and the germinal cells; the same cells as those with inclusions. A PCR method was also developed from the MCP coding sequence for detecting SIV.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA. fengjyu@u.arizona.edu
authors.forename: Kathy F J
authors.initials: KF
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.forename: Rita M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Redman
authors.forename: Carlos R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Pantoja
authors.forename: Marc Le
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Groumellec
authors.forename: Panchayuthapani
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Duraisamy
authors.forename: Donald V
authors.initials: DV
authors.lastname: Lightner
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D017931:DNA Primers; D033364:Decapoda / Q000821:virology*; D017403:In Situ Hybridization; D017994:Iridovirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers; C081132:major capsid protein, Iridovirus