Detection of Fish Virus by Using Immunomagnetic Separation and Polymerase Chain Reaction (IMS-PCR)

Immunomagnetic separation of virus coupled with .reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (IMS-PCR) was performed with infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). A DNA fragment of expected size was synthesized in the RT-PCR with total RNA extracted from IHNV inoculated CHSE-214. In a SDS-PAGE analysis, a protein band of over 70kDa was detected from non-infected cells and cells inoculated with IHNV and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV). This protein was detected in the Western blot analysis probably because of non-specific reaction to monoclonal antibody against IHNV nucleocapsid protein. In the immunomagnetic separation, magnetic beads coated with monoclonal antibody against the IHNV nucleocapsid protein was incubated with supernatant from IHNV inoculated CHSE-214 cells. During this process, the non-specifically reacting protein could be removed by washing the magnetic bead with PBS in the presence of an external magnetic field, and viral proteins were detected from the remaining, cleaned magnetic beads. It was necessary to extract viral RNA from the captured virus particles before RT-PCR, and no DNA product was detected when the captured virus was only heated 5 min at $95^{\circ}C$. A PCR-product of expected size was synthesized from IMS-PCR with magnetic beads double coated either by goat anti-mouse IgG antibody -monoclonal antibody or streptavidin - biotin conjugated monoclonal antibody.