Molecular confirmation of a new herpesvirus from catfish (Ameiurus melas) by testing the performance of a novel PCR method, designed to target the DNA polymerase gene of alloherpesviruses.

A PCR method with consensus degenerate primers was developed for the detection of herpesviruses (HVs) of anamnia. Compared to previously published PCRs, targeting the DNA polymerase gene of fish HVs, the size of PCR products was more than tripled. Although broad applicability of the method could not be proven, approximately 1,600-bp fragments from HVs of white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) and black bullhead (Ameiurus melas) were obtained and sequenced. Phylogenetic tree reconstructions showed both HVs to be monophyletic with the single member (ictalurid HV-1) of the genus Ictalurivirus in the new family Alloherpesviridae.