engleski

Non-invasive detection of Aphanomyces astaci on individual crayfish

Pathogenic oomycete Aphanomyces astaci is transmitted mainly by invasive North American crayfish, and causes the crayfish plague, a disease mostly lethal for native European crayfish. Detecting the pathogen in endangered native crayfish populations before the disease outbreak would provide a starting point in the development of effective control measures. However, current A. astaci-detection protocols either rely on eDNA isolated from large volumes of water or, if focused on individual animals, include crayfish killing. Thus, we have developed a non-invasive method that detects A. astaci DNA in microbial biofilm associated with the cuticle of individual crayfish, bypassing the unnecessary killing step. Efficiency of the new method was confirmed by PCR and qPCR and the obtained results were congruent with the traditional invasive method. We propose that the new method should be used in future monitoring of A. astaci presence in endangered European native crayfish individuals.

pathogenic oomycete, native crayfish species, biofilm

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