Blotchy Swab

A dermal swab being used on a Largemouth Bass at a Bass Pro Shops retail store with a presumptive case of blotchy bass syndrome.   We can see the transfer of pigmented epidermal tissue to the swab changing its color. The collected swabs can be used to isolate DNA and RNA which can be used to identify pathogens including those associated with hyperpigmentation.  The study of blotchy bass syndrome is part of an ongoing EESC biosurveillance effort to study viruses in wild fish.