02/23/05 U/I scientists get patent for fish test

Animal scientists at the University of Idaho's Hagerman Fish Culture facility have developed a patented genetic test to screen salmon and trout for BKD or bacterial kidney disease. Team leader Matt Powell says the PCR or polymerase chain reaction test can identify disease-causing agents in the living body fluids without having to destroy the fish to test it prior to spawning. BKD is the most prevalent disease in Pacific Northwest salmon. POWELL "When salmon have this they're very, very infectious. They can both transmit the bacteria vertically. That means pass it essentially from mother to offspring through the eggs or they can transmit it horizontally in the water." Powell says some fish exposed to the disease have an immune system that can fight it off but that wasn't much help to the fish under the old testing methods. POWELL "That fish would be destroyed in most cases because Idaho Department of Fish and Game and NOAA Fisheries what not can't actually confirm BKD in every single fish." Powell says they're working on other similar tests for viral infection in trout raised near Hagerman and they're also seeking a patent for testing for whirling disease. Today's Idaho Ag News Bill Scott