Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus: Transmission from Infectious to Susceptible Rainbow Trout Fry

Abstract

Fry of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were exposed to serotype VR-299 of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) by using a standardized immersion challenge. In concurrent experiments, fish were monitored for 11 d for excretion of IPNV or monitored for 9 d for excretion and transmission of IPNV to susceptible rainbow trout fry. Immersion-challenged fish began excreting virus within 2 d after challenge. The rate of IPNV excretion per fish increased steadily from about day 4 to day 8 and then decreased. Virus concentrations in tissues of immersion-challenged fish increased exponentially. Susceptible fish became infected with IPNV within 4 d after being introduced to immersion-challenged fish (e.g., 2 d after the challenged fish began excreting virus). By 9 d, 84% of the susceptible fish were infected with IPNV.     

The Lethal Dose of Largemouth Bass Virus in Juvenile Largemouth Bass and the Comparative Susceptibility of Striped Bass

Abstract

Largemouth bass virus (LMBV) is an iridovirus that was isolated from wild adult largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in the southeastern United States in 1994. Although originally isolated from moribund wild fish, its virulence to juvenile largemouth bass is uncertain. To help clarify this point, two LMBV titrations were made in juvenile largemouth bass. Titers of LMBV in fathead minnow cells were 10^4.8 and 10^5.8 tissue culture infectious doses—50% cytopathic endpoint (TCID50) per milliliter, respectively. Tenfold serial dilutions of LMBV employed in each cell culture titration, injected intraperitoneally (0.1 mL/fish) into largemouth bass produced calculated lethal dose—50% mortality endpoints (LD50s) of 282 (10^2.45) and 288 (10^2.46) infectious doses in two consecutive infectivity trials. Virus yield of assayed infected fish averaged 10^8.5 TCID50/g and 10^7.7 TCID50/g in viscera of moribund and dead fish in the two trials and 10^6.5 TCID50/g in surviving exposed fish 14 d after infection. In a second experiment, largemouth bass had 100% mortality 5 d after injection while virus immersed fish had a significantly (P ≤ 0.005) lower mortality of 17% at 14 d. Similarly treated juvenile striped bass Morone saxatilis suffered 63% mortality after injection and significantly (P ≤ 0.005) lower mortality of 10% after immersion. In a third study of 25 d, 100% of injected largemouth bass died by 5 d after injection, and all of them were virus-positive. Injected striped bass had a significantly (P ≤ 0.005) lower mortality of 24%; all three fish were virus-positive initially, two fish were virus-positive at 18 d, and none were positive at 25 d. Juvenile largemouth bass were highly susceptible to LMBV injection and striped bass were moderately susceptible, but both species were only mildly susceptible when exposed by immersion.     

In vitro and in vivo detection of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in fish by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

A double antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV). The ELISA detected VR299 strain of IPNV at a dose of 10 to 20 ng of purified IPNV protein or 10(4) TCID50 in tissue culture fluid. Specificity of ELISA was demonstrated by an ELISA inhibition test. The ELISA did not detect infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus. Normal cell culture fluid and virus-non-inoculated rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri Richardson) homogenate did not react in the test system. The IPNV was detected in rainbow trout fry inoculated with IPNV. Although infective virus titer in fish decreased rapidly 1 week after inoculation, IPNV antigen was detected by ELISA for 15 days. The IPNV antigen was detected in the fish tissue after inactivation of infective virus. The ELISA is a rapid and reliable method for the diagnosis of IPNV infection.     

Experimental induction of the carrier state in yearling brook trout: a model challenge protocol for IPNV immunization

Brook trout fry (Salvelinus fontinalis) were not protected from infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) challenge by immersion vaccination with inactivated, purified virus at concentrations of 10(7) to 10(9) pfu/ml. Mortalities in vaccinated groups were higher than for the unvaccinated control group and appeared to be dose-dependent. A challenge protocol for adult brook trout was developed for future vaccine trials. A single intraperitoneal injection of virulent, purified virus was sufficient to make long-lasting carriers of 16 month-old trout. Fish underwent a transient viremia, identified by virus isolation from plasma and leucocytes. Feces were the most reliable samples for identification of IPNV carriers by non-sacrificial testing. Many fish in the remaining infected group were still carriers 12 and 27 weeks post-infection.     

Vaccination of Rainbow Trout against Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis (IHN) by Using Attenuated Mutants Selected by Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies

Abstract

A neutralizing monoclonal antibody against infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) was used to select neutralization-resistant mutants from isolates of virus obtained from adult steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss returning to the Round Butte Hatchery (RB mutants) on the Deschutes River in Oregon, USA, and from rainbow trout (nonanadromous O. mykiss) at a commercial hatchery in the Hagerman Valley of Idaho, USA (193-110 mutants). Two of the mutants, RB-1 and 193-110-4, were significantly (P < 0.001) attenuated compared with parental strains. Vaccination of rainbow trout by waterborne exposure to the mutants conferred solid protection against challenge with wild-type virus. In some trials, fish vaccinated with the RB-1 mutant at 50% tissue culture infectious doses (TCID50) of 1 × 10⁴–1 × 10⁵ TCID50/mL or with the 193-110-4 mutant at 1 × 10²–1 × 10³ TCID50/mL, held for 14 d, then challenged with the homologous wild-type strain at 1 × 10⁵ TCID50/mL showed relative percent survival of 95–100% (P < 0.005). There was no significant difference (P > 0.05) in protection among fish exposed to the RB-1 vaccine strain at a dose of 1 × 10⁵ TCID50/mL for periods of either 1, 12, or 24 h, held for 14 d, and then challenged with the wild-type RB isolate, although the 1-h exposure seemed to be somewhat less effective. Fish were vaccinated with the RB-1 strain at 1 × 10³–1 × 10⁵ TCID50/mL for 24 h then challenged after 1, 7, 14, or 21 d with the wild-type RB isolate. No significant (P > 0.1) protection was observed at 1 d postvaccination, but the relative percent survival increased progressively at each subsequent challenge period, becoming statistically significant by day 7 (P < 0.001) and beyond. These results suggested that resistance to challenge with wild-type virus resulted from development of IHNV-specific immunity and not from viral interference or interferon induction, and they reinforce the potential of an attenuated vaccine to control this important disease.     

Occurrence of Aeromonas salmonicida,Renibacterium salmoninarum,and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus in Ontario Salmonid Populations

Abstract

The results of samples collected from private and government fish farms and wild and feral fish populations in Ontario from 1981 to 1995 were synthesized to obtain prevalence estimates in salmonids at both the fish and site levels for three pathogens. Renibacterium salmoninarum and Aeromonas salmonicida were both detected on at least one site for every year investigated. Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (OMNR) culture stations had the highest percentages of sites with infected fish for R. salmoninarum. Natural water bodies had the highest percentages of sites with infected fish for A. salmonicida. Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) was only detected sporadically on some commercial farms and never in OMNR hatcheries or in wild or feral fish. Although screening for any virus that would yield cytopathological effect was carried out during all the years surveyed, no virus other than IPNV was isolated. The low prevalence and “source-specific” presence of IPNV in Ontario demonstrates the necessity of representative sampling for the detection of rare pathogens. It was estimated that, overall, less than 1% of all fish in the sampled populations were infected with each of the three pathogens for almost every year studied. The importance of summarizing pathogen-testing data and the possible implications on disease control policy planning and assessment are discussed.     

Inoculation of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus serotype Sp did not cause pancreas disease in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.).

Atlantic salmon were selected from a fish farm with no previous record of pancreas disease (PD) or infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) infection. Groups of fish were inoculated with either IPNV (strain Sp) from cell culture, organ material from fish with PD or control material as phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). Virological, histological and immunohistochemical examinations were carried out throughout the experiment. None of the fish died or showed clinical symptoms of PD. Histological examination revealed no pathological changes, and immunohistochemical studies were negative. Virus was isolated only sporadically from the group inoculated with organ material, whereas it was isolated consistently from the group inoculated with virus propagated in cell culture, as well as from in-contact control fish after the first week. In a latent carrier test, changes were entirely lacking in the first mentioned group, and were only slight in the last mentioned group. The data suggest that PD is not a transmissible disease, and that IPNV isolated from a PD outbreak does not play any part in the etiology of this disease.     

Detection of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus from the Leeches Hemiclepsis marginata and Hirudo medicinalis

Leeches have been reported to harbor several important fish pathogens, including spring viremia of carp virus, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), and also may contain blood protozoa. In the present study, leeches were collected from water bodies located in Kurdistan province, Iran. The specimens were tested for IHNV, VHSV, and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) using the PCR method. The results showed that two different species of leeches, Hemiclepsis marginata and Hirudo medicinalis, were infected by IPNV among the seven species studied. The infected leeches were found in areas that were polluted with untreated sewage coming from upstream fish farms culturing Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. In addition, the fish at fish farms in the vicinity had been infected with IPNV 9 months previously. Our results showed that the virus causing infectious pancreatic necrosis is present in the leeches H. marginata and H. medicinalis, suggesting that leeches are a potential source of IPNV in fish farms.

Received October 14, 2015; accepted June 1, 2016 Published online September 29, 2016     

Prevalence of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus on Salmonid Fish Farms in Spain

Abstract

In Spain, salmonid fish farming was commercially developed in the 1960s, and now there are 140 private farms that depend heavily on imported embryonate eggs. Infectious pancreatic necrosis was first clinically diagnosed in Spain in 1970, but the virus (IPNV) was not isolated and identified until 1980. Since that time, researchers have isolated IPNV from other samples in Spain. A diagnostic survey was conducted to determine how prevalent IPNV is on fish farms in Spain and whether the virus has been responsible for some of the major financial losses occurring every year on these farms. In total, 236 samplings of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss from 31 farms in eight hydrographic areas were done over a 3-year period. Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus was isolated in 94 cases, and serotyping of the viral strains revealed that 81% of these isolates were strain Sp and 19% were strain Ab. Neither IPNV strain VR-299 nor rhabdovirus (as infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus or viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus) was detected in any of the samples.     

H5N1亚型禽流感病毒感染海兰白鸡模型的建立

为建立H5N1亚型禽流感病毒感染海兰白鸡模型,本研究选取1株鹅源H5N1高致病性禽流感病毒A/goose/guangdong/1/96(H5N1)(简称GD1/96),测定其对4周龄海兰白鸡的半数致死量.感染模型试验中,将30只4周龄海兰白鸡随机分成3组,每组10只,5只直接感染,5只同居,试验组设置一个重复,将病毒液稀释至10^4.5EID₅₀,滴鼻、点眼各0.1 mL,对照组接种PBS,感染后24 h放入同居鸡;感染后连续观察14 d,记录死亡时间,每天采集咽喉拭子和泄殖腔拭子;感染组和同居组第3、5 天各剖解3只鸡,采集气管、肺脏、脑、脾脏、肾脏和十二指肠,进行病毒分离;qRT-PCR法分析感染组和同居组第3、5 天鸡肺组织中IFN-α和TNF-α的相对表达量.结果显示,GD1/96株的鸡胚半数感染量(EID₅₀)为10^-8.167/0.1 mL,对4周龄海兰白鸡的半数致死量为10^4.5 EID₅₀.感染模型试验结果显示,以10^4.5EID₅₀的攻毒剂量感染海兰白鸡,感染组鸡在感染后8 d全部死亡;在感染和同居3 d后,各组鸡的咽喉拭子和泄殖腔拭子均可检测到病毒;感染和同居后第3、5 天,各组鸡的6种组织中均可分离到高滴度的病毒;IFN-α和TNF-α在感染组和同居组的鸡肺脏组织中的表达量均显著增加(P <0.05).本试验建立了海兰白鸡的H5N1亚型禽流感病毒感染模型,为H5N1亚型禽流感病毒的致病机理及表达抗流感基因转基因鸡的研究奠定了基础.     

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health: Guide for Authors 2012

Abstract

A virus adsorption-elution (viradel) method for use with positively charged microporous filters was previously developed in our laboratory to concentrate waterborne infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV). In the present study, this method was evaluated for the detection of IPNV in water of laboratory aquaria containing IPNV-infected rainbow trout Onchorhynchus mykiss. Waterborne IPNV samples concentrated by the viradel method were compared with samples of sediment, fish tissue homogenate, and untreated water to determine how much the viradel method could improve rapidity and efficiency of virus detection. Results of three separate experiments indicated a significant, positive correlation between the virus titers in fish tissue and in the viradel method samples and between the sediment and untreated water samples.     

Serological Properties of Neutralizing Antibodies Induced by Vaccination of Rainbow Trout with Distinct Strains of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus

Abstract

Adult rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss were immunized with formalin-inactivated, concentrated infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV). Although the immune response was variable among fish inoculated with a given virus type, sera were obtained that contained high titers of antibodies against known representatives of each of the three major serotypes and several unclassified field isolates of IPNV. Preparations of semipurified macroglobulins from the rainbow trout were subsequently used for comparative cross-neutralization testing of viruses. Cross-reactions were generally low between serotypes; however, diversity and heterogeneity existed among viral isolates from North American hatcheries (e.g., within serotype 1). For example, the Jasper subtype was clearly serologically distinguishable from other western Canadian isolates and from typical eastern Canadian isolates, which were similar to U.S. isolate VR 299. Specific salmonid immunoglobulin is suggested as a possible supplemental reagent, together with mammalian polyclonal and monoclonal antibody, for determining the epidemiology of IPNV in North America.     

Antigen dose and humoral immune response correspond with protection for inactivated infectious pancreatic necrosis virus vaccines in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L)

An enduring challenge in the vaccinology of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is the lack of correlation between neutralizing antibodies and protection against mortality. To better understand the immunological basis of vaccine protection, an efficacy trial including Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) vaccinated with a high antigen (HiAg) or low antigen (LoAg) dose vaccine was carried out in a cohabitation challenge model using the highly virulent Norwegian Sp strain NVI015. To pinpoint the immunological basis of vaccine protection, pathogenic mechanisms of IPNV were unraveled in control fish while obtaining feedback on mechanisms of protection in the vaccinated fish. During the incubation period, infection rates were highest in control fish, followed by the LoAg group with the lowest infections being in the HiAg group. Although both the liver and pancreas are target organs prone to tissue damage, infection in the liver was delayed until acute infection in most fish. A correlate of pathology determined as the cutoff threshold of viral copy numbers linked to tissue damage in target organs was estimated at ≥ 10^7.0, which corresponded with an increase in mortality. The kinetics of IFNα and Mx expression suggests that these genes can be used as biomarkers of IPNV infection progression. Mechanisms of vaccine protection involved reducing infection rates, preventing infection of the liver and reducing virus replication in target organs to levels below the correlate of pathology. Overall, the study shows that antigen dose corresponds with vaccine efficacy and that antibody levels can be used as a signature of protective immunity against pathological disease and mortality.     

Susceptibility of Fish and Turtles to Three Ranaviruses Isolated from Different Ectothermic Vertebrate Classes

Abstract

Ranaviruses have been associated with mortality of lower vertebrates around the world. Frog virus 3 (FV3)-like ranaviruses have been isolated from different ectothermic vertebrate classes; however, few studies have demonstrated whether this pathogen can be transmitted among classes. Using FV3-like ranaviruses isolated from the American bullfrog Lithobates catesbeianus, eastern box turtle Terrapene carolina carolina, and Pallid Sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus, we tested for the occurrence of interclass transmission (i.e., infection) and host susceptibility (i.e., percent mortality) for five juvenile fish and three juvenile turtle species exposed to each of these isolates. Exposure was administered via water bath (10³ PFU/mL) for 3 d and survival was monitored for 28 d. Florida softshell turtles Apalone ferox experienced no mortality, but 10% and 20% of individuals became infected by the turtle and fish isolate, respectively. Similarly, 5% of Mississippi map turtles Graptemys pseudogeographica kohni were subclinically infected with the turtle isolate at the end of the experiment. Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus experienced 5% mortality when exposed to the turtle isolate, while Western Mosquitofish Gambusia affinis experienced 10% mortality when exposed to the turtle and amphibian isolates and 5% mortality when exposed to the fish isolate. Our results demonstrated that interclass transmission of FV3-like ranaviruses is possible. Although substantial mortality did not occur in our experiments, the occurrence of low mortality and subclinical infections suggest that fish and aquatic turtles may function as reservoirs for FV3-like ranaviruses. Additionally, our study is the first to report transmission of FV3-like ranaviruses between fish and chelonians.

Received October 22, 2013; accepted January 8, 2014.     

White Sturgeon as a Potential Vector of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus

Abstract

Cell lines from white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus were derived from peripheral blood cells, heart, and spleen. Incubated with infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) for 8 d at l5°C, these cell lines produced 0.7–53.2 plaque-forming units (PFU)/cell. Waterborne exposure of larval white sturgeons (60 d posthatch) to 10⁶ PFU/mL of IHNV resulted in 10% mortality 5–6 d postinfection, with virus concentrations consistently greater than 10⁵ PFU/g. A replicate group of larval white sturgeons that were sampled at different times post-IHNV exposure had no detectable virus at 24 h, but 72% of the fish had IHNV concentrations of 10²-10⁶ PFU/g when they were examined 2–9 d postinfection. Juvenile white sturgeons (mean weight, 35 g) immersed in or injected with IHNV exhibited no mortality, and virus was only detected immediately postexposure in just 25% of the fish tested. Juvenile white sturgeons fed either virus-free rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss or dead IHNV-infected rainbow trout had no viable virus in their feces. Juvenile white sturgeons fed or exposed to IHNV failed to transmit the virus to cohabiting rainbow trout fry. These results suggest that IHNV can replicate in larval white sturgeons but presumably not in juveniles or adults. Virus neutralization activity was detected in serum from adult white sturgeons (4–6 years old) cultured with rainbow trout exposed to IHNV but not in white sturgeons kept in a pathogen-free environment and fed a manufactured diet. White sturgeon serum with IHNV-neutralizing activity was used to passively immunize rainbow trout, and it provided significant (P < 0.01) protection against IHNV challenge.     

Survivability of Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus in Fertilized Eggs of Masu and Chum Salmon

Abstract

The possibility of vertical transmission of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) was studied with the eggs of masu (cherry) salmon Oncorhynchus masou and chum salmon O. keta. The surfaces of eggs and sperm were contaminated with IHNV (10^3.8-10^4.8 50% tissue culture infective dose [TCID50]/egg) and then the eggs were fertilized. Eggs just after fertilization and embryonated eggs also were infected by injection with IHNV (10^3.8 TCID50/egg) directly into the yolk. During incubation, eggs were held in running water at 10°C. Mortality of the eggs or hatched progeny was determined and isolation of IHNV on the surface or inside of the eggs was determined during the incubation period. No mortality occurred and no virus was detected in fertile eggs from contaminated gametes. For injected eggs, IHNV was not detected on the surface of masu and chum salmon eggs after 1 d of incubation. Infectivity of IHNV inside the eggs decreased gradually and could not be detected after 1 month of incubation. This rate of IHNV reduction in the fertilized egg was similar to that found in a mixture of IHNV and homogenized yolk contents. Several individual yolk components also showed anti-IHNV activity. When eyed eggs were injected with IHNV, the embryos of both masu and chum salmon became infected, and the concentration of virus increased rapidly and reached more than 10^6.5 TCID50/fish. The cumulative mortality of eggs injected at the eyed stage for both masu and chum salmon was 90%. The susceptibilities of hatched-out larvae of masu and chum salmon to IHNV were different; cumulative mortality was more than 90% in masu salmon and 20–30% in chum salmon artificially infected with the virus. We concluded that vertical transmission of IHNV is doubtful because the virus is apparently unable to survive in eggs before the eyed stage.     

Effects of Elevated Water Temperature and Immunosuppressant Treatment on Prevalence and Titer of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus in Naturally Infected Brook Trout

Abstract

Using fingerlings of brook trout Salvelinus fontinalis naturally infected with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV), we demonstrated that elevated water temperature and treatment with the immunosuppressant triamcinolone acetonide (generic Kenalog®) significantly increases the titer of IPNV and probably also the prevalence of the infection. Stress-promoting treatments could potentially enhance the capability to detect various fish viral agents.     

Effect of exogenous corticosteroids on circulating virus and neutralizing antibodies in striped bass (Morone saxatilis) infected with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus

Corticosteroids have been reported to induce immunosuppression in fish exposed to many types of bacterial antigens. We document a similar phenomenon in fish exposed to infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV). Fingerling striped bass that were injected with the steroid triamcinolone acetonide (100 mg/kg body weight) 24 hours before receiving intraperitoneal inoculation with IPNV became viremic 3 days post inoculation (dpi) and virus was still detected in the buffy coat cells 14 dpi. In contrast, viremia could not be detected after 7 dpi in fish that received virus but not steroids. Circulating virus neutralizing antibodies were first detected in steroid treated fish at 10 dpi compared to 7 dpi for the virus injected fish and titers were consistently lower in the steroid group. Steroid treatment of chronic IPNV-carriers did not induce detectable viremia nor alter circulating antibody levels in chronic IPNV-carriers. None of the striped bass demonstrated clinical signs of viral disease.