真鲷虹彩病毒自然感染杂交石斑鱼“褐龙斑”的组织病理分析

褐龙斑是雌性褐石斑鱼(Epinephelus bruneus)和雄性鞍带石斑鱼(E. lanceolatus)杂交产生的子代。作为杂交石斑鱼的新品种，国内外尚没有褐龙斑疾病的报道。2017年7月，某养殖场褐龙斑出现急性死亡，10 d内累积死亡率高达80%。现场调查发现，病鱼外观无明显异常，但反应迟钝，伏底死亡。临床检查和剖检可见脾和肾严重肿大、易碎。组织病理切片观察发现，各组织中存在数量不等的嗜碱性、细胞质均一、直径为10~15 µm的肿大细胞。超薄组织切片中发现，肿大细胞胞质内存在大量直径为130~150 nm的虹彩病毒样颗粒。使用特异性的PCR引物，从病鱼脾、头肾等组织中均检测到真鲷虹彩病毒(Red seabream iridovirus, RSIV)的高强度感染。测定了该病毒主要衣壳蛋白(Major capsid protein, MCP)基因1362 bp的全长编码区，构建了19种(株)虹彩病毒系统发育树，结果显示，该病毒属于虹彩病毒科肿大细胞病毒属RSIV类群。本研究首次描述了褐龙斑虹彩病毒病的组织病理特征，揭示了褐龙斑是RSIV新的敏感宿主，为杂交石斑鱼病毒病的诊断与防治提供了重要的参考依据。     

大鲵虹彩病毒贵州分离株MCP基因的克隆与原核表达

根据Gen Bank中大鲵虹彩病毒主衣壳蛋白MCP(major capsid protein,MCP)基因序列(序列号:KF512820),设计一对特异性引物,以大鲵虹彩病毒贵州分离株基因组DNA为模板,PCR扩增大鲵虹彩病毒MCP基因并测序,与Gen Bank中大鲵虹彩病毒MCP基因进行比对,然后将其亚克隆到原核表达载体p ET-32a(+)中,转化大肠杆菌BL21(DE3)感受态细胞,经IPTG诱导后进行Western blot分析。结果显示:PCR扩增出长度为1 392 bp的片段,与Gen Bank中大鲵虹彩病毒MCP基因核苷酸序列相似性为99.7%~99.9%,SDSPAGE电泳显示该重组蛋白的相对分子质量约为67×103。免疫原性检测结果表明,该重组蛋白可与兔抗大鲵虹彩病毒阳性血清特异性反应,具有免疫原性。     

Iridovirus infections in finfish – critical review with emphasis on ranaviruses

Viruses in three genera of the family Iridoviridae (iridoviruses) affect finfish. Ranaviruses and megalocytiviruses are recently emerged pathogens. Both cause severe systemic disease, occur globally and affect a diversity of hosts. In contrast, lymphocystiviruses cause superficial lesions and rarely cause economic loss. The ranavirus epizootic haematopoietic necrosis virus (EHNV) from Australia was the first iridovirus to cause epizootic mortality in finfish. Like other ranaviruses, it lacks host specificity. A distinct but closely related virus, European catfish virus, occurs in finfish in Europe, while very similar ranaviruses occur in amphibians in Europe, Asia, Australia, North America and South America. These viruses can be distinguished from one another by conserved differences in the sequence of the major capsid protein gene, which informs policies of the World Organisation for Animal Health to minimize transboundary spread of these agents. However, limited epidemiological information and variations in disease expression create difficulties for design of sampling strategies for surveillance. There is still uncertainty surrounding the taxonomy of some putative ranaviruses such as Singapore grouper iridovirus and Santee‐Cooper ranavirus, both of which cause serious disease in fish, and confusion continues with diseases caused by megalocytiviruses. In this review, aspects of the agents and diseases caused by ranaviruses are contrasted with those due to megalocytiviruses to promote accurate diagnosis and characterization of the agents responsible. Ranavirus epizootics in amphibians are also discussed because of possible links with finfish and common anthropogenic mechanisms of spread. The source of the global epizootic of disease caused by systemic iridoviruses in finfish and amphibians is uncertain, but three possibilities are discussed: trade in food fish, trade in ornamental fish, reptiles and amphibians and emergence from unknown reservoir hosts associated with environmental change.     

Molecular characterization and pathogenicity of a grouper iridovirus (GIV) isolated from yellow grouper, Epinephelus awoara (Temminck & Schlegel)

Molecular characterization was carried out on an iridovirus isolated from yellow grouper, Epinephelus awoara . The major capsid protein (MCP) gene was located, sequenced and compared with homologous genes from other iridoviruses. The nucleotide sequence is 1392 bases long and contains a single open reading frame beginning at an ATG codon from the 5' end and terminating at a TAA codon at the 3' end. The open reading frame encodes a protein of 463 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 50 272 Da. Pairwise amino acid alignments detected a high degree of sequence identity between grouper iridovirus (GIV) MCP and the homologous genes of other iridoviruses. The MCP gene of GIV was most similar to the MCP gene from frog virus 3 (FV3) with 70% nucleotide and 73% amino acid sequence identity. The predicted molecular weight of the protein of this gene is comparable with the apparent weight obtained by SDS–PAGE. Pathogenicity of the GIV was investigated in yellow grouper by intraperitoneal injection of 10⁷ and 10⁴ TCID₅₀ virus. Cumulative mortalities reached 100% within 11 and 25 days post-infection, respectively, while no grouper died in the control group. The molecular studies demonstrated that GIV is a member of the genus Ranavirus .     

Experimental oral transmission of largemouth bass virus

Largemouth bass virus (LMBV) is a recently discovered iridovirus that causes a fatal disease of largemouth bass, Micropterus salmoides (Lacepède). Fish can become infected by waterborne LMBV, but oral transmission of this virus has not been demonstrated previously. Largemouth bass were gavaged with guppies, Poecilia reticulata Peters, which had been injected with LMBV, and then sampled periodically during a 7‐week observation period. The dose of LMBV averaged 10^5.6 tissue culture infectious doses – 50% cytopathic endpoint (TCID₅₀) per largemouth bass. Five of 24 largemouth bass exposed to LMBV became infected with the virus, but none of the fish had clinical signs typical of LMBV disease. Virus titres in largemouth bass were highest in swim bladder (10^5.5–9.5 TCID₅₀ g^?1) and were 10^5.2 TCID₅₀ g^?1 or lower in cutaneous mucus, head kidney, trunk kidney, spleen, gonad and intestine. These results indicate that LMBV can be transmitted orally to largemouth bass, but further study is needed to determine the factors affecting pathogenicity of the virus.     

原位杂交技术用于虹彩病毒对美国青蛙侵染的诊断

蛙虹彩病毒（Rana grylio virus,RGV)能引起鱼类、两栖类和爬行类水生动物严重的系统性疾病，RGV是从我国患病蛙中分离到一种虹彩病毒。体外扩增的RGV经人工方法感染幼龄美国青蛙（Rana grylio)，运用原位杂交技术，分别对感染1-3d后的蛙心、肺、肾、肠、脾、肝等6种组织进行RGV分子定位和检测，结果显示，在幼蛙的肺和肠中有较强的阳性信号，在其他组织中也检测到RGV的存在。本试验探讨了RGV感染早期在宿主体内的增殖及在不同组织中的分布状况，建立了一种彩虹病毒的早期诊断方法，并为揭示RGV的致病机制奠定了基础。     

A natural infection by the red sea bream iridovirus‐type Megalocytivirus in the golden mandarin fish Siniperca scherzeri

An outbreak of a Megalocytivirus infection was found in the golden mandarin fish Siniperca scherzeri during September and October 2016, in Korea. Phylogeny and genetic diversity based on the major capsid protein (MCP) and adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) genes showed a new strain. Designated as GMIV, this strain derived from the golden mandarin fish was suggested to belong to the red sea bream iridovirus (RSIV)‐subgroup I. Additionally, this train clustered with the ehime‐1 strain from red sea bream Pagrus major in Japan and was distinguished from circulating isolates (RSIV‐type subgroup II and turbot reddish body iridovirus [TRBIV] type) in Korea. The infection level, evaluated by qPCR, ranged from 8.18 × 10² to 7.95 × 10⁶ copies/mg of tissue individually, suggesting that the infected fish were in the disease‐transmitting stage. The diseased fish showed degenerative changes associated with cytomegaly in the spleen as general sign of Megalocytivirus infection. The results confirm that the RSIV‐type Megalocytivirus might have crossed the environmental and species barriers to cause widespread infection in freshwater fish.     

大鲵虹彩病毒主要衣壳蛋白的原核表达及多克隆抗体制备

根据大鲵虹彩病毒(Chinese giant salamander iridovirus,GSIV)主要衣壳蛋白(Major Capsid Protein,MCP)基因设计引物,PCR扩增得到MCP基因编码框全长序列1 392 bp,将其克隆到原核表达载体p ET-32a中,构建了重组原核表达载体p ET-32a-MCP,并在大肠杆菌BL21中得到了表达,融合表达的重组蛋白分子量约为70 ku,与预期大小一致,主要以包涵体的形式存在。对IPTG浓度,诱导温度等诱导表达条件进行优化,确定0.5 mmol/L的IPTG于37℃的条件下诱导6 h重组蛋白的表达量最佳。纯化GSIVMCP重组蛋白免疫新西兰大白兔,制备了GSIV-MCP多克隆抗体,ELISA检测抗体效价大于1∶50 000。Western blot检测显示该抗体可以特异性识别重组蛋白。间接荧光免疫结果表明,该多克隆抗体可与由GSIV感染引起细胞病变的EPC细胞(GICB)发生特异性的结合。研究为建立GSIV免疫诊断方法以及为研究GSIV MCP基因编码蛋白的功能奠定了前期基础。     

Identification and characterization of a late gene encoded by grouper iridovirus 2L (GIV‐2L)

Grouper iridovirus (GIV) belongs to the Ranavirus genus and is one of the most important viral pathogens in grouper, particularly at the fry and fingerling stages. In this study, we identified and characterized the GIV‐2L gene, which encodes a protein of unknown function. GIV‐2L is 1242 bp in length, with a predicted protein mass of 46.2 kDa. It displayed significant identity only with members of the Ranavirus and Iridovirus genera. We produced mouse monoclonal antibodies against the GIV‐2L protein by immunizing mice with GIV‐2L‐His‐tag recombinant protein. By inhibiting de novo protein and DNA synthesis in GIV‐infected cells, we showed that GIV‐2L was a late gene during the viral replication. Finally, immunofluorescence microscopy revealed that GIV‐2L protein accumulated in both the nucleus and cytoplasm of infected cells. These results offer important insights into the pathogenesis of GIV.