**AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** THE TILAPIA LAKE VIRUS (TILV) IS AN EMERGING THREAT TO THE GLOBAL TILAPIA AQUACULTURE INDUSTRY AND IS ASSOCIATED WITH HIGH MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY (UP TO 90%) IN CULTURED AND WILD TILAPIA WORLDWIDE. THE STATUS AND IMPACT OF TILV IN THE US TILAPIA INDUSTRY REMAIN UNKNOWN AS AN ACTIVE SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM HAS YET TO BE ESTABLISHED DUE TO THE UNAVAILABILITY OF VALIDATED DIAGNOSTIC TESTS. IN THE CURRENT STUDY, WE PROPOSE TO DEVELOP A RAPID, ECONOMICAL, AND SENSITIVE ONE-POT RT-LAMP CRISPR/CAS 12B ASSAY TO DETECT TILV. OUR PROPOSED ASSAY CAN BE USED IN LABORATORIES WITH LIMITED RESOURCES AND PONDSIDE TO ASSESS THE EXPOSURE STATUS OF TILAPIA STOCKS ON THE FARM. IN ADDITION, THE AVAILABILITY OF A NON-LETHAL SAMPLING METHOD WILL BE ADVANTAGEOUS AS THE FISH DO NOT NEED TO BE SACRIFICED FOR THE TILV SCREENING. THIS PROPOSED PROJECT IS NOT ONLY CRITICAL TO ENSURE THAT US PRODUCERS CAN CONTINUE TO PRODUCE AND EXPORT TILAPIA BUT ALSO IT CAN BE INTEGRATED INTO A COORDINATED US SURVEILLANCE PROGRAM AIMED AT PROTECTING THE NAÏVE US TILAPIA INDUSTRY FROM THIS GLOBALLY EMERGING VIRAL DISEASE.

University Of Florida, Gainesville FL

Investigators