Amphibians, Fish and Wildlife Disease, USGS Microbiology Research

Browse samples of USGS research about fish and wildlife disease and diagnostic protocols. For related links, see Related Links and References at the bottom of page.

Standard Operating Procedures for the Detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum in salmon

Bacterial Kidney Disease (BKD) in a juvenile salmon. Photo credit: Diane Elliott, USGS.

Renibacterium salmoninarum is a fastidious, gram-positive bacterium and the causative agent of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) in wild and cultured salmonid fishes. A number of diagnostic tests exist for the direct and indirect detection of R. salmoninarum. These tests have different analytical properties and different abilities to quantify infection levels, detect remote infections and distinguish between live and dead bacteria. This website links to standard operating procedures (SOP) for the major R. salmoninarum diagnostic tests.

For more information, contact Dr. Maureen Purcell or Dr. Diane Elliott at the Western Fisheries Research Center.

Protocols - Standard operating procedures (SOP) for the major R. salmoninarum diagnostic tests.
	Quantitative Culture for R. salmoninarum
	Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for R. salmoninarum
	Direct fluorescent antibody test (DFAT)
	Membrane filtration fluorescent antibody test (MF-FAT)
	DNA extraction for gram positive bacteria
	Nested PCR (nPCR) test
	Quantitative PCR (qPCR) test

Fish and Wildlife Disease

Microbiology

Diagnostic Protocols