Development of Monoclonal Antibodies and Elisa to TSV and IHHNV of Shrimp

Worldwide, shrimpculture is one of the largest sectors of aquaculture. The U.S. shrimpculture industry has a value of over $20 million, and the wild harvest of shrimp is valued at over $1 billion. Yet there are few resources available to help manage the health care needs of this economically important commodity. A preventative medicine approach to health care for shrimp is the most cost effective means of reducing the substantial losses that have been incurred by the industry due to disease outbreaks. Two components of such a preventive medicine program are vaccines and diagnostics. Because shrimp have a rudimentary immune system, vaccination is difficult and relatively ineffective. This gives diagnostics even greater importance. However, at present there are limited applicable diagnostic modalities available to the industry. Those that are currently utilized are slow, expensive, technically exacting, and have only moderate sensitivity. The shrimp industry needs appropriate diagnostics to help prevent the establishment of a pathogen in commercial and wild stocks, and for managing the spread of endemic pathogens. The proposed research will develop monoclonal antibodies (MAb) and initially validate their use in ELISAs specific to the two most economically important diseases of the Americans, Taura Syndrome virus (TSV) and infectious hypodermal and hemorrhagic necrosis virus (IHHNV).