Antibody development for the diagnosis of <scp><i>Oryctes rhinoceros</i></scp> nudivirus

Abstract The Korean rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus , an edible insect in the Republic of Korea, is an important insect for industrial farming, with various uses ranging from medical purposes to pets. However, there have been difficulties in the production and management of this species over the past 10 years as a result of nudivirus. This virus belongs to the family Nudiviridae, and infection with this virus proves fatal for rhinoceros beetles. The goal of this work was to develop an antibody for fundamental research on virus diagnosis. The ODV‐E66 gene encoding an envelope protein was selected for antibody production. The peptide region was derived from in silico analysis considering the conserved motif region and secondary structure of the peptide. In addition, the final peptide immunogen was validated by analyzing the physicochemical properties of the peptide to increase the rate of antibody formation. The production of polyclonal antibodies was induced by injecting peptide immunogens into rabbits. Antibody activity was evaluated using the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. As a result, we confirmed that antibody formation was possible with nudivirus mimotopes, and we also confirmed that the antigen–antibody reaction differs depending on the peptide. These results suggest a new perspective for diagnosing insect viruses and contribute to the broader knowledge of peptide immunogens.