Abstract: The present invention is directed to oligonucleotides used as amplification primers and assay probes for species-specific detection and identification of the protozoan Perkinsus in shellfish. The oligonucleotides are designed to preferentially hybridize to what has been found to be a species-unique sequence in the target organism's genome. Preferential hybridization means, for example, that the inventive primers amplify the target sequence in P. marinus with little or no detectable amplification of target sequences of other species of protozoa such as P. atlanticus thereby making the assay species specific.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to oligonucleotides used as amplification primers and assay probes for species-specific detection and identification of the protozoan Perkinsus in shellfish. The oligonucleotides are designed to preferentially hybridize to what has been found to be a species-unique sequence in the target organism's genome. Preferential hybridization means, for example, that the inventive primers amplify the target sequence in P. marinus with little or no detectable amplification of target sequences of other species of protozoa such as P. atlanticus thereby making the assay species specific.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to oligonucleotides used as amplification primers and assay probes for specific and sensitive for virulent strains of V. vulnificus. The target sequence of the probes and primers according to present invention is a capsular polysaccharide (CPS) transport gene (wza) of V. vulnificus. These probes can detect wza DNA or RNA in an unknown sample suspected to have pathogenic strains of V. vulnificus including human, animal, or environmental samples. The invention is also directed to in vitro-expressed protein from the cloned wza for production of polyclonal or monoclonal antibody that is specific for the wza gene product and will detect the V. vulnificus Wza protein in a sample comprising unknown protein.