Nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor for visual detection of fish nervous necrosis virus amplification products

Antibiotic resistance in aquaculture and aquatic organisms: a review of current nanotechnology applications for sustainable management

Aquaculture has emerged as one of the world's fastest-growing food industries in recent years, helping food security and boosting global economic status. The indiscriminate disposal of untreated or improperly managed waste and effluents from different sources including production plants, food processing sectors, and healthcare sectors release various contaminants such as bioactive compounds and unmetabolized antibiotics, and antibiotic-resistant organisms into the environment. These emerging contaminants (ECs), especially antibiotics, have the potential to pollute the environment, particularly the aquatic ecosystem due to their widespread use in aquaculture, leading to various toxicological effects on aquatic organisms as well as long-term persistence in the environment. However, various forms of nanotechnology-based technologies are now being explored to assist other remediation technologies to boost productivity, efficiency, and sustainability. In this review, we critically highlighted several ecofriendly nanotechnological methods including nanodrug and vaccine delivery, nanoformulations, and nanosensor for their antimicrobial effects in aquaculture and aquatic organisms, potential public health risks associated with nanoparticles, and their mitigation measures for sustainable management.

Emerging bioanalytical sensors for rapid and close-to-real-time detection of priority abiotic and biotic stressors in aquaculture and culture-based fisheries

Abiotic stresses of various chemical contamination of physical, inorganic, organic and biotoxin origin and biotic stresses of bacterial, viral, parasitic and fungal origins are the significant constraints in achieving higher aquaculture production. Testing and rapid detection of these chemical and microbial contaminants are crucial in identifying and mitigating abiotic and biotic stresses, which has become one of the most challenging aspects in aquaculture and culture-based fisheries. The classical analytical techniques, including titrimetric methods, spectrophotometric, mass spectrometric, spectroscopic, and chromatographic techniques, are tedious and sometimes inaccessible when required. The development of novel and improved bioanalytical methods for rapid, selective and sensitive detection is a wide and dynamic field of research. Biosensors offer precise detection of biotic and abiotic stressors in aquaculture and culture-based fisheries within no time. This review article allows filling the knowledge gap for detection and monitoring of chemical and microbial contaminants of abiotic and biotic origin in aquaculture and culture-based fisheries using nano(bio-) analytical technologies, including nano(bio-)molecular and nano(bio-)sensing techniques.

Direct Amperometric Sensing of Fish Nodavirus RNA Using Gold Nanoparticle/DNA-Based Bioconjugates

We describe the design of a simple and highly sensitive electrochemical bioanalytical method enabling the direct detection of a conserved RNA region within the capsid protein gene of a fish nodavirus, making use of nanostructured disposable electrodes. To achieve this goal, we select a conserved region within the nodavirus RNA2 segment to design a DNA probe that is tethered to the surface of nanostructured disposable screen-printed electrodes. In a proof-of-principle test, a synthetic RNA sequence is detected based on competitive hybridization between two oligonucleotides (biotinylated reporter DNA and target RNA) complimentary to a thiolated DNA capture probe. The method is further validated using extracted RNA samples obtained from healthy carrier Sparus aurata and clinically infected Dicentrarchus labrax fish specimens. In parallel, the sensitivity of the newly described biosensor is compared with a new real-time RT-PCR protocol. The current differences measured in the negative control and in presence of each concentration of target RNA are used to determine the dynamic range of the assay. We obtain a linear response (R² = 0.995) over a range of RNA concentrations from 0.1 to 25 pM with a detection limit of 20 fM. The results are in good agreement with the results found by the RT-qPCR. This method provides a promising approach toward a more effective diagnosis and risk assessment of viral diseases in aquaculture.

Development and evaluation of colloidal gold immunochromatography test strip for rapid diagnosis of nervous necrosis virus in golden grey mullet (Chelon aurata)

A lateral flow immunochromatography strip test, based on antibody-gold nanoparticles specific for nervous necrosis virus (NNV), was developed for rapid, on-site detection of the virus in fish stocks. A monoclonal antibody against NNV was conjugated with colloidal gold as the detector antibody. A rabbit anti-NNV polyclonal antibody and goat anti-mouse IgG antibody were blotted onto the nitrocellulose membrane as the capture antibodies on the test line and control line, respectively. The reaction could be seen by the eye within 15 min and did not cross-react with the other viruses tested. The detection limit of the strip was approximately 10³ TCID₅₀ /ml and had good stability after storage at 4°C for 8 months. When brains of 70 naturally infected golden grey mullet, Chelon aurata, were tested with the strip test, the diagnostic specificity and sensitivity of the test compared to real-time RT-PCR were 100% and 74%, respectively. Therefore, the one-step test strip developed here had high specificity, reproducibility, and stability. This, together with its simplicity to use and rapid detection, without the requirement of sophisticated equipment or specialized skills, makes the strip suitable for pond-side detection of NNV in farmed fish.

Paper Lateral Flow Biosensor for Nodavirus Reverse Transcribed RNA Detection

Paper nanobiosensors have been established as an excellent platform for analysis of veterinary and human pathogens causing various diseases. Especially, lateral flow assays or biosensors ideal for sensitive, rapid, robust and accurate analysis in laboratory setups and on-site analysis. Viral RNA detection is of great importance for public health as well as animal health protection. In that aspect, the present protocol focuses on the development of functionalized gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor for fish nervous necrosis virus (Nodavirus) nucleic acids detection. Total viral RNA, isolated from fish samples was subjected to reverse transcription PCR amplification and the amplification products were mixed with specific oligonucleotide probe. A red test line was formed when nodavirus product was present. The proposed assay has great implications on basic research since it eliminates the need for time-consuming, cumbersome electrophoresis protocols and could be adjusted for use on the site of fish culture by fish farmers. Disease monitoring by such bioanalytical platforms without time consuming and costly procedures would have great impact on the aquaculture and environmental safety.

Development of a Novel Lateral Flow Biosensor Combined With Aptamer-Based Isolation: Application for Rapid Detection of Grouper Nervous Necrosis Virus

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) has infected more than 50 fish species worldwide, and has caused serious economic losses in the aquaculture industries. However, there is no effective antiviral therapy. The development of a rapid and accurate point-of-care diagnostic method for the prevention and control of NNV infection is urgently required. Commonly used methods for NNV detection include the cell culture-based assay, antibody-based assay and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-based assay. However, these methods have disadvantages as they are time-consuming and complex. In the present study, we developed a simple and sensitive aptamer-based lateral flow biosensor (LFB) method for the rapid detection of red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV). An aptamer is a single-stranded nucleotide, which can specifically bind to the target and has many advantages. Based on a previously selected aptamer, which specifically bound to the coat protein of RGNNV (RGNNV-CP), two modified aptamers were used in this study. One aptamer was used for magnetic bead enrichment and the other was used for isothermal strand displacement amplification (SDA). After amplification, the product was further tested by the LFB, and the detection results were observed by the naked eye within 5 min with high specificity and sensitivity. The LFB method could detect RGNNV-CP protein as low as 5 ng/mL or 5 × 103 RGNNV-infected GB (grouper brain) cells. Overall, it is the first application of a LFB combined with aptamer in the rapid diagnosis of virus from aquatic animals, which provides a new option for virus detection in aquaculture.

Development of a Nanoparticle-based Lateral Flow Strip Biosensor for Visual Detection of Whole Nervous Necrosis Virus Particles

Effective analysis of pathogens causing human and veterinary diseases demands rapid, specific and sensitive detection methods which can be applied in research laboratory setups and in field for routine diagnosis. Paper lateral flow biosensors (LFBs) have been established as attractive tools for such analytical applications. In the present study a prototype LFB was designed for whole particles (virions) detection of nodavirus or fish nervous necrosis virus. Nodavirus is an important threat in the aquaculture industry, causing severe economic losses and environmental problems. The LFB was based on polyclonal antibodies conjugated on gold nanoparticles for signal visualization. Brain and retinas from fish samples were homogenized, centrifuged and the supernatant was directly applied on the LFB. Formation of a red test line was indicative of nodavirus virions presence. Nodavirus visual detection was completed in short time (30 min). Key factors of the LFB development influencing the assays’ detection limit were characterized and the optimum parameters were determined, enabling increased efficiency, excluding non-specific interactions. Therefore, the proposed LFB assay consists a robust, simple, low cost and accurate method for detection of nodavirus virions in fish samples. The proposed biosensor is ideal for development of a commercial kit to be used on aquaculture facilities by fish farmers. It is anticipated that disease monitoring and environmental safety will benefit from the simplification of time consuming and costly procedures.

Betanodavirus and VER Disease: A 30-year Research Review

The outbreaks of viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER), caused by nervous necrosis virus (NNV), represent one of the main infectious threats for marine aquaculture worldwide. Since the first description of the disease at the end of the 1980s, a considerable amount of research has gone into understanding the mechanisms involved in fish infection, developing reliable diagnostic methods, and control measures, and several comprehensive reviews have been published to date. This review focuses on host–virus interaction and epidemiological aspects, comprising viral distribution and transmission as well as the continuously increasing host range (177 susceptible marine species and epizootic outbreaks reported in 62 of them), with special emphasis on genotypes and the effect of global warming on NNV infection, but also including the latest findings in the NNV life cycle and virulence as well as diagnostic methods and VER disease control.

A simple and efficient method for potential point-of-care diagnosis of human papillomavirus genotypes: combination of isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification with lateral flow dipstick and reverse dot blot

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in the world's woman population with a high incidence in developing countries where diagnostic conditions for the cancer are poor. The main culprit causing the cancer is the human papillomavirus (HPV). HPV is divided into three major groups, i.e., high-risk (HR) group, probable high-risk (pHR) group, and low-risk (LR) group according to their potential of causing cervical cancer. Therefore, developing a sensitive, reliable, and cost-effective point-of-care diagnostic method for the virus genotypes in developing countries even worldwide is of high importance for the cancer prevention and control strategies. Here we present a combined method of isothermal recombinase polymerase amplification (RPA), lateral flow dipstick (LFD), and reverse dot blot (RDB), in quick point-of-care identification of HPV genotypes. The combined method is highly specific to HPV when the conserved L1 genes are used as targeted genes for amplification. The method can be used in identification of HPV genotypes at point-of-care within 1 h with a sensitivity of low to 100 fg of the virus genomic DNA. We have demonstrated that it is an excellent diagnostic point-of-care assay in monitoring the disease without time-consuming and expensive procedures and devices.

Towards a Dual Lateral Flow Nanobiosensor for Simultaneous Detection of Virus Genotype-Specific PCR Products

Nervous necrosis virus (nodavirus) has been responsible for mass mortalities in aquaculture industry worldwide, with great economic and environmental impact. A rapid low-cost test to identify nodavirus genotype could have important benefits for vaccine and diagnostic applications in small- and medium-scale laboratories in both academia and fish farming industry. A dual lateral flow biosensor for simultaneous detection of the most prevalent nodavirus genotypes (RGNNV and SJNNV) was developed and optimized. The dual biosensor consisted of two antibody-based test zones, indicative of each genotype, and a control zone. The positive signals were visualized by gold nanoparticles functionalized with anti-biotin antibody, and the detection was completed within 20 min. Optimization studies included antibody type and amount determination for test zone construction, gold nanoparticle conjugate type selection for high signal generation, and detection assay parameter determination. Following optimization, the biosensor was evaluated with healthy and RGNNV-nodavirus-infected fish samples. The proposed assay's cost was estimated to be less than 3 €, including the required reagents and biosensor. This work presents important steps towards making a dual lateral flow biosensor for nodavirus genotyping; further evaluation with clinical samples is needed before the test is appropriate for diagnostic kit development.

Real-time isothermal detection of Abalone herpes-like virus and red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus using recombinase polymerase amplification

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This is the first study to use RPA to detect AbHV and RGNNV.

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Reaction can be finished at 37 °C in 20 min; time can be further reduced to 5 min for high viral load sample.

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The detection limits are 100 viral DNA copies per reaction for both viruses.

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Detection methods for both viruses have good specificity without false positive results.

Abalone herpes-like virus (AbHV) and Red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) are two serious viruses that infect animal populations in aquaculture. Both viruses cause diseases associated with high mortality rates, resulting in dramatic economic losses in the aquaculture industry. There are currently no effective treatments for either of these two viral diseases. Thus, early, rapid, and accurate diagnosis plays a fundamental role in disease prevention and control in aquaculture. Traditional methods of diagnosis, such as virus culture, enzyme-linked immunoassay, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR), are either time consuming or require sophisticated temperature control devices. In this study, one sets of specific primers and probes were designed for the real-time quantitative recombinase polymerase amplification (qRPA) detection of AbHV and RGNNV separately. The sensitivity and specificity of detection were evaluated by comparison with detection by conventional PCR and quantitative PCR. The optimal reaction temperature and time for virus detection is 37 °C for 20 min. The detection limit is 100 copies per reaction, making this approach faster and more sensitive than qPCR in this study. In a field application, the detection percentage of qRPA was higher than that of qPCR for both AbHV and NNV. Additionally, good correlation was found between qRPA and qPCR detection (R² > 0.8). The methods presented here can be used as alternatives to qPCR for quick and quantitative detection of pathogens infecting aquaculture species.

Advances in the study of nodavirus

Nodaviruses are small bipartite RNA viruses which belong to the family of Nodaviridae. They are categorized into alpha-nodavirus, which infects insects, and beta-nodavirus, which infects fishes. Another distinct group of nodavirus infects shrimps and prawns, which has been proposed to be categorized as gamma-nodavirus. Our current review focuses mainly on recent studies performed on nodaviruses. Nodavirus can be transmitted vertically and horizontally. Recent outbreaks have been reported in China, Indonesia, Singapore and India, affecting the aquaculture industry. It also decreased mullet stock in the Caspian Sea. Histopathology and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) are used to examine the presence of nodaviruses in infected fishes and prawns. For classification, virus isolation followed by nucleotide sequencing are required. In contrast to partial sequence identification, profiling the whole transcriptome using next generation sequencing (NGS) offers a more comprehensive comparison and characterization of the virus. For rapid diagnosis of nodavirus, assays targeting the viral RNA based on reverse-transcription PCR (RT-PCR) such as microfluidic chips, reverse-transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP) and RT-LAMP coupled with lateral flow dipstick (RT-LAMP-LFD) have been developed. Besides viral RNA detections, diagnosis based on immunological assays such as enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunodot and Western blotting have also been reported. In addition, immune responses of fish and prawn are also discussed. Overall, in fish, innate immunity, cellular type I interferon immunity and humoral immunity cooperatively prevent nodavirus infections, whereas prawns and shrimps adopt different immune mechanisms against nodavirus infections, through upregulation of superoxide anion, prophenoloxidase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), crustin, peroxinectin, anti-lipopolysaccharides and heat shock proteins (HSP). Potential vaccines for fishes and prawns based on inactivated viruses, recombinant proteins or DNA, either delivered through injection, oral feeding or immersion, are also discussed in detail. Lastly, a comprehensive review on nodavirus virus-like particles (VLPs) is presented. In recent years, studies on prawn nodavirus are mainly focused on Macrobrachium rosenbergii nodavirus (MrNV). Recombinant MrNV VLPs have been produced in prokaryotic and eukaryotic expression systems. Their roles as a nucleic acid delivery vehicle, a platform for vaccine development, a molecular tool for mechanism study and in solving the structures of MrNV are intensively discussed.

Genotype-specific real-time PCR combined with high-resolution melting analysis for rapid identification of red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus

A real-time genotype-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay combined with high-resolution melting (HRM) analysis was developed to assess the most common genotypes of nervous necrosis viruses or nodaviruses. Nodaviruses are the causal agents of viral nervous necrosis infections, which have been wreaking havoc in the aquaculture industry worldwide, with fish mortality up to 100%. The four different genotypes of nodaviruses correlate with differences in viral pathogenicity. Therefore, rational development of effective vaccines and diagnostics requires analysis of genetic variation among viruses. The aim of the present study was to develop a real-time tetra-primer genotype-specific PCR assay for genotype identification. Four primers were utilized for simultaneous amplification of nodavirus genotype-specific products in a single closed-tube PCR after a reverse-transcription reaction using RNA isolated from fish samples. For high-throughput sample analysis, SYBR Green-based real-time PCR was used in combination with HRM analysis. The assay was evaluated in terms of specificity and sensitivity. The analysis resulted in melting curves that were indicative of each genotype. The detection limit when using reference plasmids was 100 ag/µL for both genotypes, while the sensitivity of the assays when testing a complex mixture was 10 fg/µL for red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) and 100 fg/µL for striped jack nervous necrosis virus (SJNNV). To test the capability of this method under real-world conditions, 58 samples were examined. All samples belonged to the RGNNV genotype, which was fully validated. The results were in full agreement with genotyping by reference methods. The proposed methodology provides a rapid, sensitive, specific, robust and automatable assay for nodavirus genotyping, making it a useful tool for diagnosis and screening for epidemiological studies.

Gold nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor for rapid visual detection of Leishmania-specific DNA amplification products

Leishmaniasis is a disease, caused by Leishmania parasites, which infect humans and animals, posing a major social and economic burden worldwide. The need for accurate and sensitive disease diagnosis led to the widespread adoption of PCR amplification. Detection of the amplification products (i.e. gel electrophoresis) require time-consuming protocols performed by trained personnel, with high cost. Aim of the present study was the simplification of PCR product detection, using a nucleic acid lateral flow, combined with functionalized gold nanoparticles. Amplification reactions targeting kinetoplastid DNA of Leishmania spp were performed on canine blood samples and a positive signal was formed as a red test zone. The visual detection was completed in 20min. Extensive optimization enabled the detection of 100fmol of target DNA. Clinical samples of infected dog blood were analyzed with high specificity. Overall, the proposed lateral flow biosensor can be considered an appealing alternative platform for Leishmania-specific amplification products detection with low cost and attractive simplicity.