Molecular biology of channel catfish virus

Abstract

Channel catfish virus (CCV) is an important fish virus causing economic losses in areas where channel catfish ( Ictalurus punctatus) is cultured. Although it has been almost three decade since the virus was isolated, molecular studies on CCV lagged behind other herpesviruses. Earlier studies dealt mostly with the basic biologic properties of CCV, and most of these studies focused on the pathogenecity and the detection strategies of the disease. Availability of the DNA sequence of CCV prompted many laboratories to study unique molecular characteristics of CCV to find its place in herpesvirus classification. The genomic structure of CCV was different enough so that CCV was given its own place within the herpesvirus classification. Unfortunately, some of the most important common characteristics of herpesviruses, such as gene regulation, latency, and virus–host cell interactions in CCV infection are not fully understood. Although different approaches have been taken to develop a vaccine to control CCV infections in farm raised catfish, these strategies have failed to find a product that could be used by farmers. This was mainly because of both applicability and the cost of the vaccine. Trends in the development of biotechnology, on the other hand, opened new windows to look into both molecular structure and the molecular cell-virus interactions and appear to be promising in explaining some of the fundamental questions in channel catfish virus disease.