Detection of Herpesvirus anguillae infection in eel using in situ hybridization

A nucleic acid probe for the Herpesvirus anguillae (HVA) Taiwan isolate was constructed using recombinant DNA techniques. This probe consisted of a specific viral DNA fragment (1550 bp) generated by digestion of HVA DNA with the restriction enzyme Hind III, and labeled non-radioactively with digoxigenin (DIG). The probe was used to detect the HVA genome from HVA-infected cell cultures and tissue specimens prepared from infected eels, using either dot blot or in situ hybridizations.