CARP EDEMA VIRUS DISEASE IN SERBIA - DISEASE OUT OF CONTROL

Vladimir Radosavljevic,Vesna Milićević,Jelena Maksimović Zorić,Ljubiša Veljović,Ksenija Nešić,Dimitrije Glišić

doi:10.46784/eavm.v14i1.261

Abstract

A poxvirus named carp edema virus (CEV), is the causative agent of carp edema virus disease (CEVD), which is an emerging disease of global concern that may cause high rates of morbidity and mortality in ornamental koi and common carp and. Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is the most important fish species for warm‐water aquaculture in Serbia. CEVD was first time detected in Serbia in 2017. During 2017-2020 period, increasing number of CEVD outbreaks in carp farms is reported. Carp were collected from farms in different regions of Serbia from 2017 to 2020. The fish were sampled for disease diagnosis because they exhibited lethargy and anorexia, which eventually led to mortality. Mortality started with clinical signs of hypoxia while fish swam slowly without escaping reactions. The gills were pale and covered with a thick mucus layer. In advanced cases, the lesions in the gills turned into a necrotizing form. A moderate to high amount of opportunistic freshwater bacteria were isolated from gills of diseased fish. By performing real-time PCR, CEV was detected in 38 samples of diseased carps from 21 carp farms. These outbreaks further confirm the spread of CEVD and the need for practitioners to be vigilant for outbreaks of this disease. To prevent further spreading of the disease, it is very important to introduce CEV testing before fish movement. To avoid further transmission of the virus to common carp populations in Serbia, testing of CEV should become part of fish disease surveillance programs. Fish health service should be aware of the presence of CEV in Serbia which may result in high losses in carp aquaculture. Action should be taken also to prevent transmission of CEV to carp populations in open waters.

Highlights

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is the most important fish in Serbian aquaculture, with annual production of approximately 11,000 tons (Marković et al 2011)
Fish health service should be aware of the presence of carp edema virus (CEV) in Serbia which may result in high losses in carp aquaculture
In this paper we report the increase in the incidence, disease in severity and mortality of carp edema virus disease (CEVD) at a carp farms during a four-year period, from 2017-2020

Summary

Introduction

Common carp (Cyprinus carpio) is the most important fish in Serbian aquaculture, with annual production of approximately 11,000 tons (Marković et al 2011). The occurrence and spread of a new disease which may significantly affect the health of carp is a disturbing fact which requires attention of all the parties involved in the production chain. Carp edema virus disease (CEVD) is an emerging disease considered to be a potential risk for the carp aquaculture and for global food security as well (Kurita et al 2009; Way et al 2017), with new data about its spread, economic and biological properties being published rapidly over the past few years (Rehman et al 2020; Machat et al 2021).

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