Detection of Bacterial and Viral Agents Responsible for Mass Mortality

An outbreak of nodavirus and rhabdovirus infection in cultured stinging catfish (Heteropneustes fossilis) of Mymensingh district of Bangladesh is described with respect to RT-PCR amplification and artificial infection. Above 80% farms were infected when culturing this same fish more than three times in same ponds, but less occurrence of infection about 25% was observed in first time cultured ponds.The study is clearly brought out the actual clinical symptoms of nodavirus and rhabdovirus infection in stinging catfish Shing. The result obtained from this study will develop an apparent fathom to recognize the unique differences between bacterial and viral infection in H. fossilis, which was very confusing. The RT-PCR analysis confirmed the presence of nodavirus and rhabdovirus. This is the first ever isolation of viral infectious agents from the stinging catfish, Heteropneustes fossilis of Bangladesh. Among the 77 samples, 85.71% samples were positive for nodavirus and 12.98% samples for rhabdovirus, but remaining 14.28% samples were showed negative results for both of the viruses.