Adherence of channel catfish virus to sperm and leukocytes

Abstract

Although channel catfish virus (CCV) is thought to be vertically transmitted, no mechanism has been demonstrated for such a process. When contained in small volumes of saline, CCV associated rapidly with channel catfish leukocytes and sperm, associated slowly with a continuous cell line of channel catfish cells and did not adhere to channel catfish eggs. This virus-sperm adherence appeared to be a mechanism by which eggs might become infected with virus. However, virus-sperm adherence was not detected when sperm were added to 250 ml of CCV-containing water, indicating that sperm are probably not involved with transmitting CCV into eggs from water or ovarian fluid. Egg infections in channel catfish, if they occur, must be accomplished by mechanisms different from those thought to be involved in the infection of salmonid eggs by infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus.