Table 1.
Design of the experimental trial
| Group | Number of fish | Trial length (weeks) | Sampling time points (weeks post-challenge-wpc)a | Fish sampled per time point | Samples | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Negative control | 150 mock injected | 10 | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 | 2 | Blood | Antibody detection |
| Heart | Virus qPCR; CD4 CD8 | |||||
| Spleen | Virus qPCR; IFN | |||||
| Organs | Histopathology | |||||
| 150 cohabitants | 10 | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 | 2 | Blood | WB—antibody detection—Hct | |
| Heart | Virus qPCR; CD4 CD8 | |||||
| Spleen | Virus qPCR; IFN | |||||
| Organs | Histopathology | |||||
| Purified PRV-3 particles | 50 purified PRV-3 injected | 10 | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 | 6 | Blood | Antibody detection |
| Heart | Virus qPCR; CD4 CD8 | |||||
| Spleen | Virus qPCR | |||||
| Organs | Histopathology | |||||
| 50 cohabitants | 10 | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 | 6 | Blood | WB—antibody detection—Hct | |
| Heart | Virus qPCR; CD4 CD8 | |||||
| Spleen | Virus qPCR; IFN | |||||
| Organs | Histopathology | |||||
| Positive control | 50 PRV-3 infected blood injected | 10 | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 | 6 | Blood | Antibody detection |
| Heart | Virus qPCR; CD4 CD8 | |||||
| Spleen | Virus qPCR | |||||
| Organs | Histopathology | |||||
| 50 cohabitants | 10 | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 | 6 | Blood | WB—antibody detection—Hct | |
| Heart | Virus qPCR; CD4 CD8 | |||||
| Spleen | Virus qPCR; IFN | |||||
| Organs | Histopathology |
aIn addition 9 fish were collected prior to exposure and investigated for presence of PRV-3 and heart histopathology.