Development of lateral flow immunoassay strip for rapid detection of acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease-causing PirAB toxins in shrimp

Abstract

     Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) is currently the most affected disease of shrimp farms worlwide As rapid and specific detection methods are essential to improve disease management, a lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) was designed for the detection of PirA^vp and PirB^vp toxins in shrimp. In this study, polyclonal antibody based lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA) strip has been developed. The recombinant PirA^vp and PirB^vp toxin‐like proteins of Vibrio parahaemolyticus (VP_AHPND) was used to immunize rabbits with the highest antibody titre after the third booster. This polyclonal rabbit antiserum was purified and used to develop a LFIA strip for the detection of AHPND pathogen. This test strip could detect PirA^vp and PirB^vp toxins up to 125 ng/mL by naked eye within 15 min. No cross-reactivity was observed with VP_non-AHPND. Furthermore, the sensitivity and specificity of LFIA were 94.0% and 98.0%, respectively. This LFIA strip could be used as a handy tool by the farmers and technicians in situ.