Four years of monitoring for viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus in marine waters around the United Kingdom

• Published in: Diseases of aquatic organisms 2003-04, Vol.54 (3), p.175-186
• Main Authors: DIXON, P. F, AVERY, S, WAY, K, CHAMBERS, E, FEIST, S, MANDHAR, H, PARRY, L, STONE, D. M, STRØMMEN, H. K, THURLOW, J. K, LUI, C. Tsin-Yee
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal and plant ecology; Animal, plant and microbial ecology; Animals; Aquareovirus; Base Sequence; Biological and medical sciences; Birnaviridae - isolation & purification; Birnaviridae Infections - epidemiology; Birnaviridae Infections - veterinary; Birnavirus; Cell Line; Clupea harengus; Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay - veterinary; Fishes; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gadus morhua; Hemorrhagic Septicemia, Viral - epidemiology; Marine; Melanogrammus aeglefinus; Molecular Sequence Data; Novirhabdovirus - genetics; Novirhabdovirus - isolation & purification; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction - veterinary; RNA, Viral - chemistry; RNA, Viral - isolation & purification; Sea water ecosystems; Seawater; Sequence Alignment - veterinary; Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; Synecology; United Kingdom - epidemiology; Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus; Water Microbiology
• ISSN: 0177-5103; 1616-1580
• DOI: 10.3354/dao054175

Between 1995 and 1998, marine fish from around the coast of the UK were collected and samples analysed for viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) using cell culture isolation methods. In 1997 and 1998 the samples were also analysed for VHSV by reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR). A total of 1867 fish of 11 species were tested, but VHSV was isolated on only 1 occasion, from herring Clupea harengus, in 1996. However, despite VHSV not being isolated in 1997 and 1998, in both years samples of herring from the west and south coasts of England produced positive signals in the RT-PCR, and in 1997 cod from the east coast of England also produced positive signals in the RT-PCR. These results are believed to be true indications of the presence of VHSV nucleic acid in the fish. In 1997, birnaviruses from Serogroup B1 were isolated from herring (a previously unrecorded host for the virus) and cod Gadus morhua, and a birnavirus from Serogroup A2 was also isolated from cod. In 1998, an aquareovirus was isolated from haddock Melanogrammus aeglefinus, a previously unrecorded host for the virus.