Laboratory of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan.
PLoS One. 2012;7(8):e42203. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0042203. Epub 2012 Aug 9.
Groupers of the Epinephelus spp. are an important aquaculture species of high economic value in the Asia Pacific region. They are susceptible to piscine nodavirus infection, which results in viral nervous necrosis disease. In this study, a rapid and sensitive automated microfluidic chip system was implemented for the detection of piscine nodavirus; this technology has the advantage of requiring small amounts of sample and has been developed and applied for managing grouper fish farms. Epidemiological investigations revealed an extremely high detection rate of piscine nodavirus (89% of fish samples) from 5 different locations in southern Taiwan. In addition, positive samples from the feces of fish-feeding birds indicated that the birds could be carrying the virus between fish farms. In the present study, we successfully introduced this advanced technology that combines engineering and biological approaches to aquaculture. In the future, we believe that this approach will improve fish farm management and aid in reducing the economic loss experienced by fish farmers due to widespread disease outbreaks.
石斑鱼是亚太地区具有重要经济价值的水产养殖品种。它们易感染鱼类神经坏死病毒，导致病毒性神经坏死病。本研究采用快速灵敏的自动化微流控芯片系统检测鱼类神经坏死病毒，该技术具有样品用量少的优点，已开发并应用于石斑鱼养殖场的管理。流行病学调查显示，在台湾南部的 5 个不同地点，鱼类神经坏死病毒的检出率极高（89%的鱼样）。此外，从喂鱼鸟的粪便中检出的阳性样本表明，这些鸟可能在养殖场之间传播病毒。本研究成功引入了这种将工程学和生物学方法相结合的水产养殖先进技术。我们相信，未来这种方法将改善养殖场的管理，帮助减少因广泛爆发疾病而给养殖户带来的经济损失。
