CHED 189 |
| There are no reliable nonlethal sampling techniques for Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD), a major health problem of cultured salmonids. The disease is caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum (Rs) a gram-positive diplobacillus that produces chronic, systemic infection characterized by granulomatous lesions in the kidney and other organs. Internally, the kidney is usually most affected, becoming swollen with gray or white lesions. BKD is commonly diagnosed through invasive or lethal techniques applied to fresh or frozen tissues or blood plasma from infected fish. We are currently developing a nonlethal screening detection method based on near infrared spectroscopy. Near infrared spectra were acquired by placing a fiber optic probe in direct contact with skin and scales of the fish. The spectroscopic information was correlated to the BKD status of each fish, as determined by visual examination of gross kidney morphology and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (q-PCR) test. Categorization of fish according to their health status was achieved using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Soft Independent Modeling of Class Analogy (SIMCA). These data support our hypothesis that specific changes in body composition between healthy fish and those with BKD may allow for development of a nonlethal screening method that recognizes presence of BKD in salmonids before development of external clinical signs. |
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Undergraduate Research Poster Session
2:30 PM-4:30 PM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster
Division of Chemical Education |