OIE Reference Laboratory Reports
Activities in 2010
Name of disease (or topic) for
which you are a designated OIE
Reference Laboratory:
Address of laboratory:
Tetrahedral baculovirosis
(Baculovirus penaei)
Aquaculture Pathology Laboratory
Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology,
University of Arizona
Building 90, Room 202 Pharmacy/Microbiology,
Tucson, AZ 85721
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Tel.:
(+1-520) 621.84.14
Fax:
(+1-520) 621.48.99
e-mail address:
dvl@u.arizona.edu
website:
http://microvet.arizona.edu/research/aquapath/index.htm
Name of Head of Laboratory
(Responsible Official):
Donald V. Lightner
Name of OIE Reference Expert:
Donald V. Lightner
Name of writer of this report
(if different from above):
Linda M. Nunan & Donald V. Lightner
Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010
1
Tetrahedral baculovirosis (Baculovirus penaei)
Part I: Summary of general activities related to the disease
1.
2.
Test(s) in use/or available for the specified disease/topic at your laboratory
Test
For
Specificity
Total
PCR
Surveillanace & SPF
verification
All known BP viral
genotypes
381
Histology
Initial diagnosis &
surveillance
Lesions
1823
ISH
Confirmatory diagnosis
All known BP viral
genotypes
0
Realtime PCR
Confirmatory diagnosis &
quantification of viral load
All known BP viral
genotypes
0
Production and distribution of diagnostic reagents
Contact person, institution, country
Material provided
Quantity sent
Susan Laramore, Harbor Branch, USA
BP+C, (plasmid)
1 Tube
AK Panda, RGCA, India
BP PCR kit for 250 PCR reactions
1 Box
Part II: Activities specifically related to the mandate
of OIE Reference Laboratories
3.
International harmonisation and standardisation of methods for diagnostic testing or the
production and testing of vaccines
None.
4.
5.
Preparation and supply of international reference standards for diagnostic tests or vaccines

Infected tetrahedral baculovirosis (Baculovirus

Plasmid DNA for use as positive control in PCR reactions
penaei) virus shrimp tissue
Research and development of new procedures for diagnosis and control
See reference list in point 12 below
6.
Collection, analysis and dissemination of epizootiological data relevant to international disease
control
None
2
Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010
Tetrahedral baculovirosis (Baculovirus penaei)
7.
8.
Provision of consultant expertise to OIE or to OIE Members

Assisted the Aquatic Animal Health Standards Commission (AAHSC) in drafting and final editing of the
2010 Aquatic Code chapters that deal specifically with listed diseases that affect the penaeid shrimp.

Provided out-of-session advice to the OIE and the AAHSC on how to accommodate a comment from a
Member Country about the 2009 Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals that loop-mediated
isothermal amplification (LAMP) methods should be included with the molecular diagnostic techniques for
all aquatic animal disease chapters.

Attended as an OIE invited advisor the October 11-15, 2010 meeting of the AAHSC at OIE Headquarters.

At the request of OIE, the Disease Card for Necrotizing Hepatopancreatitis (NHP), that had been updated by
Dr. Morales Covarrubias and who may be nominated by the delegate from Mexico to be the expert for an
NHP Reference Laboratory, before it was placed in with other disease cards at the web site of the AAHSC.
Provision of scientific and technical training to personnel from other OIE Members
Hosted and trained Ms. Andrea D. Budd from Belize. Ms. Budd received a training fellowship from the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) for training in diagnostic methods for penaeid shrimp diseases. Ms.
Budd is an Animal Health Officer with the Belize Agricultural Health Authority, Central Investigation Laboratory,
Belize City, Belize. Her training emphasized histological and molecular test methods, with the latter including
standard PCR/RT-PCR and qPCR/RT-PCR methods.
9.
Provision of diagnostic testing facilities to other OIE Members
None
10. Organisation of international scientific meetings on behalf of OIE or other international bodies
None
11. Participation in international scientific collaborative studies
Development of qPCR kits with Life Technologies of Singapore & USA. My lab provided samples of frozen
shrimp tissue infected with OIE-listed viral diseases of shrimp (WSSV, YHV, TSV and IMNV) and genome
sequence information to Life Technologies (formerly Applied Biosystems) of Singapore & USA for development
of qPCR/RT-PCR test kits.
12. Publication and dissemination of information relevant to the work of OIE (including list of
scientific publications, internet publishing activities, presentations at international conferences)

Presentations at international conferences and meetings
Lightner D. Emerging significant infectious and noninfectious diseases of farmed shrimp. World Aquaculture
Society. March 1-5, 2010. San Diego, California, USA. Presented at San Diego, CA on 3/2/2010. Invited speaker.

Scientific publications in peer-reviewed journals
Cotê, I, and D.V. Lightner. 2010. Hyperthermia does not protect Kona stock Penaeus vannamei against infection
by the Belize-02 isolate of Taura syndrome virus. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 88: 157-160.
Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010
3
Tetrahedral baculovirosis (Baculovirus penaei)
Davidson, E.W., J. Synder, D.V. Lightner, G. Ruthig, J. Lucas and J. Gilley. 2010. Exploration of potential
microbial control agents for the invasive crayfish, Orchonectes virilis, in Arizona, USA. Biocontrol Science and
Technology 20: 297-310.
Heres A. and Lightner D.V. 2010. Phylogenetic analysis of the pathogenic bacteria Spiroplasma penaei based on
multilocus sequence analysis. Journal Invertebrate Pathology 103: 30-35.
Muller, I.C., T. P.D. Andrade, K. F.J. Tang-Nelson, M. R. F. Marques, D.V. Lightner. 2010. Genotyping of
WSSV geographical isolates from Brazil and comparison to other isolates from the Americas. Diseases of Aquatic
Organisms 88: 91-98.
Yan, D., K.F.J. Tang and D.V. Lightner. 2010. A generic real-time PCR for the detection of hepatopancreatic
parvovirus (HPV) of penaeid shrimp. Journal of Fish Diseases 33: 507-511.
Nunan L.M., B.T. Poulos, S. Navarro, R.M. Redman and D.V. Lightner. 2010. Milky hemolymph syndrome
(MHS) in spiny lobsters, penaeid shrimp and crabs. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms 91: 105-112.
Lightner, D.V. In press. Virus diseases of farmed shrimp in the Western Hemisphere. In: G. Stentiford (editor)
Diseases of Commercially Exploited Crustaceans. Special issue of the Journal of Invertebrate Pathology.
Heres, A., L.M. Nunan, and D.V. Lightner. In press. Biological and molecular characteristics of the pathogenic
Spiroplasma penaei isolated from the hemolymph of the Pacific white shrimp Penaeus vannamei. Bamidgeh
(The Israeli Journal of Aquaculture).
Lightner D.V. and R.M. Redman. In press. The global status of significant infectious diseases of farmed shrimp.
Proceedings of Integrated Technologies for Advanced Shrimp Production. Aquaculture Interchange Program,
2009 Workshop, October 13-15, 2009, Honolulu, Hawaii. Special publication of the Asian Fisheries Society
Journal.
Aranguren L.F., K.F.J. Tang and D.V. Lightner. In press . Quantification of the bacterial agent of necrotizing
hepatopancreatitis (NHP-B) by real-time PCR and comparison of survival and NHP load of two shrimp
populations. Aquaculture.
Tang K.F.J., and D.V. Lightner. In press. Duplex real-time PCR for detection and quantification of monodon
baculovirus (MBV) and hepatopancreatic parvovirus (HPV) in Penaeus monodon. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.
Stentiford, G.D. and D.V. Lightner. In press. Historic cases of White spot disease (WSD) caused by white spot
syndrome virus (WSSV) in European shrimp farms. Diseases of Aquatic Organisms.

Other communications
Lightner, D.V. 2010. Crustacean (penaeid shrimp) diseases. Annual Reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and
Collaborating Centres for 2009. Office International des Epizooties, Paris.
White-Noble B.L., Lightner D.V., Tang K.F.J. and Redman R. 2010. Lab challenge for selection of IMNVresistant white shrimp. Global Aquaculture Advocate. July/August, pp. 71-73.
13.
Inscription of diagnostic kits on the OIE Register
i)
Did you participate in expert panels for the validation of candidate kits for inscription on the
OIE Register? If yes, for which kits?
No
ii)
Did you submit to the OIE candidate kits for inscription on the OIE Register? If yes, for
which kits?
No
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Annual reports of OIE Reference Laboratories and Collaborating Centres, 2010