<p> OIE Reference Laboratory Reports Activities in 2011</p><p>Name of disease (or topic) Infection with Perkinsus marinus for which you are a designated OIE Reference Laboratory:</p><p>Address of laboratory: Shellfish Pathology Laboratory Virginia Institute of Marine Science P.O. Box 1346 Gloucester Point, Virginia 23062 UNITED STATES OF AMERICA</p><p>Tel.: (+1-804) 684.77.13</p><p>Fax: (+1-804) 684.77.96</p><p> e-mail address: [email protected]</p><p> website: http://www.vims.edu/research/departments/eaah/ programs/shellpath/index.php</p><p>Name of Head of Dr Ryan B. Carnegie Laboratory (Responsible Official):</p><p>Name of OIE Reference Dr Ryan B. Carnegie Expert:</p><p>Name of writer of this report (if different from above):</p><p>Annual reports of OIE Reference Centres, 2011 1 Infection with Perkinsus marinus</p><p>Part I: Summary of general activities related to the disease</p><p>1. Test(s) in use/or available for the specified disease/topic at your laboratory</p><p>Test For Specificity Total</p><p>RFTM culture Organism Genus 3604</p><p>Histopathology Organism Genus 5002</p><p>PCR DNA Species 115</p><p>In situ hybridization Organism Species 14</p><p>DNA sequencing DNA Species 0</p><p>2. Production and distribution of diagnostic reagents </p><p>None.</p><p>Part II: Activities specifically related to the mandate of OIE Reference Laboratories</p><p>3. International harmonisation and standardisation of methods for diagnostic testing or the production and testing of vaccines</p><p> a) Establishment and maintenance of a network with other OIE Reference Laboratories designated for the same pathogen or disease and organisation of regular inter-laboratory proficiency testing to ensure comparability of results</p><p>Not applicable.</p><p> b) Organisation of inter-laboratory proficiency testing with laboratories other than OIE Reference Laboratories for the same pathogens and diseases to ensure equivalence of results</p><p>None.</p><p>4. Preparation and supply of international reference standards for diagnostic tests or vaccines</p><p>Histological blocks and stained slides of P. marinus-infected oyster (Crassostrea virginica) tissue are available from our reference laboratory. For molecular work, we provide ethanol-preserved host tissues and extracted DNA. Stained histological sections of P. marinus were provided to laboratories in Mexico, Canada, and the Republic of Korea. Ethanol-preserved P. marinus-infected oyster samples and plasmid DNA were provided to laboratories in Mexico and the Republic of Korea. </p><p>5. Research and development of new procedures for diagnosis and control </p><p>None.</p><p>6. Collection, analysis and dissemination of epizootiological data relevant to international disease control</p><p>2 Annual reports of OIE Reference Centres, 2011 Infection with Perkinsus marinus</p><p>There were no new epizootiological reports published in the scientific literature concerning P. marinus in 2011. There were no notifications to the OIE. The disease situation remains consistent with 2010.</p><p>7. Maintenance of a system of quality assurance, biosafety and biosecurity relevant to the pathogen and the disease concerned</p><p>Diagnoses were performed following standard laboratory quality assurance protocols. </p><p>8. Provision of consultant expertise to OIE or to OIE Members</p><p>Carnegie attended the Annual Meeting and Eighth Combined Technical Workshop of the National Reference Laboratories for Mollusc Diseases in La Rochelle and La Tremblade, France, in March 2011, at which he gave presentations on management of molluscan diseases in the eastern USA and on the histological diagnosis of perkinsosis. On the same European trip, he gave a presentation on P. marinus parasitism at the Centro de Investigacións Mariñas, Vilanova de Arousa, Spain. He attended the OIE Global Conference on Aquatic Animal Health Programmes: Their Benefits for Global Food Security, in Panama City in June 2011, and gave a presentation titled “Contemporary Issues in Molluscan Health: Challenges and Opportunities”. He wrote a manuscript of the same title for the conference proceedings. In September 2011, he gave a presentation on OIE Reference Laboratory functions at the International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health and Food Safety in Ensenada, Baja California, Mexico. </p><p>Carnegie wrote a chapter on P. marinus for the next edition of the OIE Manual of Diagnostic Tests for Aquatic Animals.</p><p>9. Provision of scientific and technical training to personnel from other OIE Members</p><p>One scientist from Canada received one week of training in the microscopic detection of P. marinus.</p><p>Two scientists from the Republic of Korea received two weeks of general training in the detection of perkinsosis and other molluscan diseases by microscopy, ISH, and PCR. </p><p>10. Provision of diagnostic testing facilities to other OIE Members</p><p>Provided confirmatory testing for the presence of P. marinus in a Mexican oyster sample by ISH.</p><p>11. Organisation of international scientific meetings on behalf of OIE or other international bodies</p><p>None.</p><p>12. Participation in international scientific collaborative studies</p><p>None.</p><p>13. Publication and dissemination of information relevant to the work of OIE (including list of scientific publications, internet publishing activities, presentations at international conferences) </p><p> Presentations at international conferences and meetings</p><p> o Carnegie, R.B., and E.M. Burreson. Evolutionary ecology of Crassostrea virginica and its parasites. Annual conférence of the National Shellfisheries Association. Baltimore, Maryland, USA. March 2011</p><p> o Carnegie, R.B. Confronting disease in oyster restoration : the case of Crassostrea virginica in Chesapeake Bay, USA. International Conference on Shellfish Restoration. Stirling, UK. August 2011</p><p>Annual reports of OIE Reference Centres, 2011 3 Infection with Perkinsus marinus</p><p> o Carnegie, R.B. Responsibilities and activities of a World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) Reference Laboratory. International Symposium on Aquatic Animal Health and Food Safety. Ensenada, Mexico. September 2011</p><p> Other communications</p><p> o Carnegie, R.B., and E.M. Burreson. Perkinsus marinus and Haplosporidium nelsoni. In: Fish Parasites: Pathobiology and Protection (P.T.K. Woo and K. Buchmann, eds.). CABI Publishing, Oxfordshire, UK. In press.</p><p>______</p><p>4 Annual reports of OIE Reference Centres, 2011</p>