Establishment and Application of a Rapid Detection Method of Cyprinid Herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) in Aquacultural Waters...

Cyprinid herpesvirus 2 (CyHV-2) poses a substantial global threat to goldfish (Carassius auratus) and crucian carp (Carassius carassius). Despite the development of several sensitive molecular diagnostic techniques, there is an ongoing demand for alternative visualisation platforms to streamline the workflow, enhance safety profiles, and improve accessibility for end-users. In this study, we have integrated recombinase-aided amplification (RAA) technology with the CRISPR/Cas12a system to establish a rapid diagnostic system for CyHV-2, termed one-pot RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a. This method enables the results of detection within 60 min. The RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a platform is capable of detecting as few as 10 copies of CyHV-2 per reaction cycle without exhibiting cross-reactivity with other pathogens. The positive detection rate in clinical samples exceeds that of conventional PCR approaches, underscoring its high precision. Furthermore, the method could be used in conjunction with iron flocculation for the concentration and detection of viruses within aquaculture settings. This approach minimises the dissection of aquatic organisms, thereby maximising animal welfare and bolstering detection efficiency. Collectively, our findings validate the RAA-CRISPR/Cas12a method as a robust, specific, confirmatory, user-friendly and promising approach for on-site diagnosis of CyHV-2.