Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus Strains Research Articles

Study of in vitro reproduction of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV)

The aim of the work was to study the in vitro reproduction of new emergent isolates of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) in purpose to determine virulence properties. The new strains of IPNV isolated from trout farms in Ukraine during 2021-2022 were investigated. For this purpose, RTG-2 cell line was used, on which the infectious titer of the virus and the manifestation of CPE signs were determined. The infectious titer of selected isolates in RTG-2 cell line ranged from 1.1x103 to 1.0x107 TCID50/ml Isolated IPNV strains caused low (≤25 %), moderate (≤50 %) and high (≥70 %) mortality rates in trout fry. Based on biological properties and indicators of infectious titer, the investigated isolates VN11, VN18 and VN29 were determined as with low virulence, and isolates VN20, VN30, VN32 and VN39 were classified as highly virulent. Among the highly virulent isolates, VN32 had the highest titer of 1.0x107 TCID50/ml and caused mortality in rainbow trout with an average weight of 100 g. The IPNV strain isolated from the brook trout had an infectious titer of 1.58x106 TCID50/ml and caused fry mortality ranged from 15 to 25 %. The number of detected isolates and their cultural properties testify to the biodiversity of strains for the Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in Ukraine. How many newly discovered isolates of the IPNV belong to one or another genotype remains to be determined. For this, a study of the nucleotide sequence of the gene encoding the capsid protein VP2 will be conducted, on the basis of which it will also be possible to determine virulence by changes in amino acids sequences

Dynamic Distribution of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) Strains of Genogroups 1, 5, and 7 after Intraperitoneal Administration in Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is the causative agent of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) IPN and causes significant loss of fingerlings. The currently prevalent IPNV genogroups in China are genogroups 1 and 5. However, in this study, we isolated and identified a novel IPNV, IPNV-P202019, which belonged to genogroup 7. Here, a total of 200 specific-pathogen-free rainbow trout (10 g average weight) were divided randomly into four groups to investigate the distribution of different IPNV strains (genogroups 1, 5, and 7) in 9 tissues of rainbow trout by means of intraperitoneal (ip) injection. Fish in each group were monitored after 3-, 7-, 14-, 21- and 28- days post-infection (dpi). The study showed no mortality in all groups. The distribution of IPNV genogroups 1 and 5 was similar in different tissues and had a higher number of viral loads after 3, 7, or 14 dpi. However, the distribution of IPNV genogroup 7 was detected particularly in the spleen, head kidney, and feces and had a lower number of viral loads. The results of this study provide valid data for the distribution of IPNV in rainbow trout tissues and showed that IPNV genogroups 1 and 5 were still the prevalent genogroups of IPNV in China. Although rainbow trout carried IPNV genogroup 7, the viral load was too low to be pathogenic.

Molecular Evolution of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus in China.

Passive virus surveillance was performed in twenty-nine salmon and trout farms from seven provinces and districts in China during the period 2017–2020. A total of 25 infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) isolates were obtained, mainly from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The molecular evolution of these Chinese IPNV isolates and the previously reported Chinese IPNV strains ChRtm213 and WZ2016 was analyzed, based on their VP2 gene coding region sequences (CDS). All 27 Chinese IPNV isolates clustered within genogroups I and V, with 24 of the IPNV isolates belonging to genogroup I (including ChRtm213 and WZ2016), and only three isolates clustering in genogroup V. The Chinese genogroup I IPNV isolates lacked diversity, composing six haplotypes with 41 polymorphic sites, and the identity of nucleotide and amino acid sequences among the entire VP2 gene CDS from these isolates was 97.44%–100% and 98.19%–100%, respectively. Divergence time analyses revealed that the Chinese genogroup I IPNV isolates likely diverged from Japanese IPNV isolates in 1985 (95% highest posterior density (HPD), 1965–1997), and diverged again in 2006 (95% HPD, 1996–2013) in China. Each of the three Chinese genogroup V IPNV isolates has a unique VP2 gene CDS, with a total of 21 polymorphic sites; the identity of nucleotide and amino acid sequences among all VP2 gene CDS from these isolates was 98.5%–99.5% and 98.6%–99.0%, respectively. The data demonstrate that genogroups I and V are more likely the currently prevalent Chinese IPNV genotypes.

Necrosis Pancreatic Infectious Virus does not block 701-STAT1 (α/β) tyrosine in Oncorhynchus mykiss (‎Salmoniformes: ‎Salmonidae).

ABSTRACT: Necrosis Pancreatic Infectious Virus does not block 701-STAT1 (α/β) tyrosine in Oncorhynchus mykiss (‎Salmoniformes: ‎Salmonidae).
 Introduction: Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is a pathogen important that affects predominantly salmonids. The type I interferon alpha system has a crucial role in the first line of defense against IPNV infection. IFN-I(α) activation triggers the signaling pathway JAK-STAT, binding to their receptors results in the rapid phosphorylation of STATs a critical step for the nuclear translocation to induce the interferon stimulated genes (ISGs). The relationship between infectivity level of IPNV strain and pathway signaling of IFN is yet poorly understood. Objective: our purpose was to investigate if the IFN-I(α) signaling pathway is affected by IPNV strains of different infectivity levels.
 Methods: We used two IPNV isolated (VR-299 and Sp) to infect RTG-2 cells. Total RNA was isolated using the commercial kit for determine to VP2 expression and ISGs using qRT-PCR. Western Immunoblotting analysis was carried out for determine the 701 STAT1(α/β) phosphorylation into infected cells.
 Results: Hence, a higher virulence strain is not associated with a greater blocking effect for interferon signaling. Furthermore, the activation of Y701-STAT1 (α/β) was significantly increased in serotype Sp virus infected cells compared with serotype VR-299 virus infected cells, indicating that IPNV inhibits IFN signaling pathway.
 Conclusions: As concluded, IPNV does not block the phosphorylation of 701-tyrosine STAT1 (α/β) stimulated by IFN-I(α), contrary to other RNA viruses.

Co-infection of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) caused high mortality in farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in China

The co-infection of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) with high mortality was observed in farmed rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in China. Severe extensive necrosis was observed on the major organs of moribund rainbow trout, and tissue fluid from diseased fish was able to cause obvious cytopathic effect in CHSE-214 cells. The co-infection of IHNV and IPNV was detected by RT-PCR and confirmed by an immunofluorescent assay test. The IHNV and IPNV in this co-infection had the same genogroups as the currently prevalent IHNV and IPNV strains in China, and they belonged to genogroup J and genogroup 1, respectively. Distinct from previous studies, the IHNV loads were significantly higher than the IPNV loads in both co-infected tissues and viral cell culture suspension (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the tissue suspensions and cell culture suspensions (cells directly inoculated with pooled tissues suspension from infected fish) were very virulent, causing cumulative mortalities of 94% and 96% in rainbow trout that were challenged at a standard dosage of 100 half tissue culture infective doses (TCID50). Similar high mortality was observed from rainbow trout challenged with purified IHNV, indicating mortality caused by natural co-infected samples may be solely attributable to IHNV, with no apparent impact from the IPNV in the co-infected sample. However, significantly decreased mortality was obtained from the artificial co-infection performed by challenging rainbow trout with a mixture of purified IHNV and purified IPNV at a 1:1 ratio. Notably, viral interference was not detected in this natural co-infection case, even though it could be observed in fish challenged with the purified viruses from the natural infection sample, indicating that IHNV and IPNV co-infection is far more complicated than previously understood. It is urgent to pay more attention to viral interactions to improve the systematic prevention and control of fish diseases.

Molecular epidemiological study on Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus isolates from aquafarms in Scotland over three decades.

In order to obtain an insight into genomic changes and associated evolution and adaptation of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV), the complete coding genomes of 57 IPNV isolates collected from Scottish aquafarms from 1982 to 2014 were sequenced and analysed. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequenced IPNV strains showed separate clustering of genogroups I, II, III and V. IPNV isolates with genetic reassortment of segment A/B of genogroup III/II were determined. About 59 % of the IPNV isolates belonged to the persistent type and 32 % to the low-virulent type, and only one highly pathogenic strain (1.79 %) was identified. Codon adaptation index calculations indicated that the IPNV major capsid protein VP2 has adapted to its salmonid host. Under-representation of CpG dinucleotides in the IPNV genome to minimize detection by the innate immunity receptors, and observed positive selection in the virulence determination sites of VP2 embedded in the variable region of the main antigenic region, suggest an immune escape mechanism driving virulence evolution. The prevalence of mostly persistent genotypes, together with the assumption of adaptation and immune escape, indicates that IPNV is evolving with the host.

Discovery of nonnucleoside inhibitors of polymerase from infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV).

IntroductionInfectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) causes serious losses in several fish species of commercial interest. IPNV is a non-enveloped double-stranded RNA virus with a genome consisting of two segments A and B. Segment B codes for the VP1 protein, a non-canonical RNA-dependent RNA polymerase that can be found both in its free form and linked to the end of genomic RNA, an essential enzyme for IPNV replication.Materials and methodsWe take advantage of the knowledge over the allosteric binding site described on the surface of the thumb domain of Hepatitis C virus (HCV) polymerase to design new non-nucleoside inhibitors against the IPNV VP1 polymerase.ResultsMolecular docking techniques have been used to screen a chemical library of 23,760 compounds over a defined cavity in the surface of the thumb domain. Additional ADMET (absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity) filter criteria has been applied.ConclusionWe select two sets of 9 and 50 inhibitor candidates against the polymerases of HCV and IPNV, respectively. Two non-toxic compounds have been tested in vitro with antiviral capacity against IPNV Sp and LWVRT60 strains in the low µM range with different activity depending on the IPNV strain used.

Low evolutionary rate of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) in Italy is associated with reduced virulence in trout.

Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is a naked double-stranded RNA virus with a bi-segmented genome that is classified within the family Birnaviridae, genus Aquabirnavirus. IPNV was first detected in Italian trout farms in the late 1970s and ultimately became endemic. To characterize the evolution of IPNV circulating in Italy, particularly whether there is a link between evolutionary rate and virulence, we obtained and analyzed the VP1 (polymerase) and the pVP2 (major capsid protein precursor) sequences from 75 IPNV strains sampled between 1978 and 2017. These data revealed that the Italian IPNV exhibit relatively little genetic variation over the sampling period, falling into four genetic clusters within a single genogroup (group 2 for VP1 and genogroup V for pVP2) and contained one example of inter-segment reassortment. The mean evolutionary rates for VP1 and pVP2 were estimated to be 1.70 and 1.45 × 10−4 nucleotide substitutions per site, per year, respectively, and hence significantly lower than those seen in other Birnaviruses. Similarly, the relatively low ratios of non-synonymous (dN) to synonymous (dS) nucleotide substitutions per site in both genes indicated that IPNV was subject to strong selective constraints, again in contrast to other RNA viruses infecting salmonids that co-circulate in the same area during the same time period. Notably, all the Italian IPNV harbored a proline at position 217 (P217) and a threonine at position 221 (T221) in pVP2, both of which are associated with a low virulence phenotype. We therefore suggest the lower virulence of IPNV may have resulted in reduced rates of virus replication and hence lower rates of evolutionary change. The data generated here will be of importance in understanding the factors that shape the evolution of Aquabirnaviruses in nature.

Molecular characterization of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus strains isolated from the three types of salmonids farmed in Chile

BackgroundThe infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) causes significant economic losses in Chilean salmon farming. For effective sanitary management, the IPNV strains present in Chile need to be fully studied, characterized, and constantly updated at the molecular level.MethodsIn this study, 36 Chilean IPNV isolates collected over 6 years (2006–2011) from Salmo salar, Oncorhynchus mykiss, and Oncorhynchus kisutch were genotypically characterized. Salmonid samples were obtained from freshwater, estuary, and seawater sources from central, southern, and the extreme-south of Chile (35° to 53°S).ResultsSequence analysis of the VP2 gene classified 10 IPNV isolates as genogroup 1 and 26 as genogroup 5. Analyses indicated a preferential, but not obligate, relationship between genogroup 5 isolates and S. salar infection. Fifteen genogroup 5 and nine genogroup 1 isolates presented VP2 gene residues associated with high virulence (i.e. Thr, Ala, and Thr at positions 217, 221, and 247, respectively). Four genogroup 5 isolates presented an oddly long VP5 deduced amino acid sequence (29.6 kDa). Analysis of the VP2 amino acid motifs associated with clinical and subclinical infections identified the clinical fingerprint in only genogroup 5 isolates; in contrast, the genogroup 1 isolates presented sequences predominantly associated with the subclinical fingerprint. Predictive analysis of VP5 showed an absence of transmembrane domains and plasma membrane tropism signals. WebLogo analysis of the VP5 BH domains revealed high identities with the marine birnavirus Y-6 and Japanese IPNV strain E1-S. Sequence analysis for putative 25 kDa proteins, coded by the ORF between VP2 and VP4, exhibited three putative nuclear localization sequences and signals of mitochondrial tropism in two isolates.ConclusionsThis study provides important advances in updating the characterizations of IPNV strains present in Chile. The results from this study will help in identifying epidemiological links and generating specific biotechnological tools for controlling IPNV outbreaks in Chilean salmon farming.

Complete genomic sequence of an infectious pancreatic necrosis virus isolated from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in China.

Infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is a significant disease of farmed salmonids resulting in direct economic losses due to high mortality in China. However, no gene sequence of any Chinese infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) isolates was available. In the study, moribund rainbow trout fry samples were collected during an outbreak of IPN in Yunnan province of southwest China in 2013. An IPNV was isolated and tentatively named ChRtm213. We determined the full genome sequence of the IPNV ChRtm213 and compared it with previously identified IPNV sequences worldwide. The sequences of different structural and non-structural protein genes were compared to those of other aquatic birnaviruses sequenced to date. The results indicated that the complete genome sequence of ChRtm213 strain contains a segment A (3099 nucleotides) coding a polyprotein VP2-VP4-VP3, and a segment B (2789 nucleotides) coding a RNA-dependent RNA polymerase VP1. The phylogenetic analyses showed that ChRtm213 strain fell within genogroup 1, serotype A9 (Jasper), having similarities of 96.3% (segment A) and 97.3% (segment B) with the IPNV strain AM98 from Japan. The results suggest that the Chinese IPNV isolate has relative closer relationship with Japanese IPNV strains. The sequence of ChRtm213 was the first gene sequence of IPNV isolates in China. This study provided a robust reference for diagnosis and/or control of IPNV prevalent in China.

Relationship between apoptosis and the BH2 domain sequence of the VP5 peptide of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus

ABSTRACTObjective. To determine whether the level of apoptosis induced by infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is related to the amino acid sequence of the BH2 domain of the VP5 protein and the level of infectivity. Materials and methods. Three IPNV strains were used, the VP2 protein gene was amplified for genotyping and the VP5 sequence was also obtained. The infectivity of the strains was calculated using the viral titer obtained at 12, 24, 36 and 45 hpi in CHSE-214 cells. The percentage of apoptosis in infected cells was visualized by TUNEL assay and immunohistochemistry (caspase 3 detection). Results. The V70/06 and V33/98 strains corresponded to genotype Sp, while V112/06 to VR-299; the amino acid analysis of the V70/06 strain allows its classification as middle virulent strain and V33/98 and V112/06 strains as low virulent ones; infection with the V112/06 strain produced a lower viral titer (p&lt;0.05). The VP5 gene of the 3 strains showed four homologous domains to Bcl-2, however, the BH2 domain was truncated in V70/06 and V33/98 (12 kDa), being complete (15kDa) in V112/06, which also showed the Trp155 residue, equivalent to Trp188 considered as a critical factor for the function of Bcl-2. The average apoptosis was below 12%, showing no differences between strains (p&gt;0.05). Conclusions. The results showed that the differences in the BH2 sequence of the VP5 protein, infectivity and the VP2 sequence are not associated with the modulation of apoptosis.

ESTANDARIZACIÓN DE LA TÉCNICA RT-PCR TIEMPO REAL PARA LA DETECCIÓN DEL VIRUS DE LA NECROSIS PANCREÁTICA INFECCIOSA (VNPI) EN TRUCHAS ARCO IRIS (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

The objective of this study was to standardize and validate the real-time RT-PCR technique for diagnosis of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis virus (IPNV) in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) from Central Sierra of Peru. Samples of kidney and spleen (n=61) of rainbow trout with apparent clinical signs of IPN and from rainbow trout apparently healthy (n=60) were collected from two fish farms located in the central sierra. Before standardization of the real-time RT-PCR technique, the kidney and spleen samples of 121 rainbow trout were tested for antigen of IPNV by indirect immunofluorescent (IIF) test. In addition, kidney and spleen samples of 10 rainbow trout negative to IPNV by IIF were inoculated with a serial dilution of IPNV strain (from initial concentration of 103 PFU/ml). The RNA extraction of the 121 samples and of the 10 samples inoculated with IPNV strain, the cDNA and the real-time RT-PCR were carried out by commercial kits. The WB1 and WB2 primers were used to amplify a segment that codifies the protein VP2 of the Aquabirnavirus. A strain of IPNV as a positive control and Rotavirus A strain, Gumboro disease virus, bovine viral diarrhea virus, and parainfluenza-3 were used as negative controls. The 121 kidney and spleen samples were negative to IPNV by IIF test. The results of real time RT-PCR technique were evaluated considering the cycle threshold values of 31.7 and temperature melting of 80.4 °C of the amplicons. The real time RT-PCR technique was able to detect a concentration of 102 PFU/ml of IPNV in the kidney and spleen samples inoculated and the 121 of kidney and spleen samples were negative to IPNV. This technique had 100% of sensibility and specificity for detection of IPNV.

Isolation and Molecular Characterization of a Novel Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus Strain in Returning Atlantic Salmon Salmo salar from the Connecticut River, USA

After 22 years of negative viral screening results, the viral pathogen infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) was isolated from the ovarian fluid of two pooled samples of returning Connecticut River Atlantic salmon Salmo salar during the 2007 spawning season at Richard Cronin National Salmon Station (RCNSS), Hadley, Massachusetts. Cytopathic effect was observed in Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE-214) cells, and IPNV was confirmed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Sequence analysis conducted by the U.S. Geological Survey's Western Fisheries Research Center determined that the isolate closely resembled the Canada_3 strain, falling into Genogroup 4 rather than Genogroup 1, which is more common in the United States. This allowed us to speculate that the Atlantic salmon were not infected during their freshwater life stage in the Connecticut River watershed but somewhere on their migratory route or feeding grounds in the Northwest Atlantic. On November 20, 2007, the Connecticut River Atlantic Salmon Commission voted to depopulate the infected stock at RCNSS and the entire suspect egg lots held at White River National Fish Hatchery, Vermont. Approximately one and a half months later, the 121 Connecticut River Atlantic salmon were euthanized and sampled for a follow-up investigation to determine the prevalence of infection. Only one kidney-spleen homogenate (male) was confirmed IPNV positive via cell culture and RT-PCR. A total of 2,983 base pairs from segment A of the RNA genome were sequenced from this fish and determined to be from a new strain (Connecticut-1) of IPNV that closely resembles Canada_2 and Canada_3 in Genogroup 4. The new strain is genetically identical to one of the first ovarian fluid isolates over a shared 130-nucleotide region, possibly indicating original transmission from a single source. The absence of IPNV from the Connecticut River's subsequent four returning Atlantic salmon year-classes may indicate that the aggressive corrective action was prudent.

Use of reverse transcription-real time polymerase chain reaction (real time RT-PCR) assays with Universal Probe Library (UPL) probes for the detection and genotyping of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus strains isolated in Chile

Reverse transcription-real time polymerase chain reaction (real time RT-PCR) assay with Universal Probe Library (UPL) probes has been developed for the detection and genotyping of Chilean infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) isolates from infected cell culture. Partial nucleotide sequences (1175 bp) of the VP2 coding region from a selection of 7 Chilean IPNV isolates showed that they clustered into two main groups strongly correlated with Genogroups 1 and 5 proposed by Blake et al. (2001), corresponding to types West Buxton (WB) and Spajarup (Sp), respectively. Based on the VP2 gene sequences of those 7 Chilean isolates and different reference IPNV strains, 2 sets of candidate primer/UPL probes (# 8 and # 117) were designed and evaluated with a total of 32 field isolates isolated from Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) farms from 2006 to 2010 in Chile. The UPL probes clearly differentiated the same two major Genogroups that those recognized by sequencing analysis. Among the Chilean isolates examined, 18 yielded amplification with UPL probe # 8, and 14 with probe # 117, respectively corresponding to types Sp and WB, as demonstrated by typing by sequencing. Based on the findings reported below, it has been demonstrated that the combined real time RT-PCR protocol with UPLs approach was efficient in discriminating distinct Genogroups of IPNV cultured in fish cell lines and, therefore, recommended its use for detection and typing of IPN viruses. The study also confirmed the existence of two IPNV type strains in Chilean salmonid aquaculture.

Occurrence and prevalence of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cultured in cages in the Black Sea

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) cultured in cage systems in the South Eastern Black Sea were surveyed for the type, occurrence and prevalence of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV). Two nearby farms (designated as Farm A and Farm B) were visited monthly in 2007 and 2008. At each farm, 385 fish were selected randomly from five cages. Another farm with infected trout from a hatchery also was monitored for IPNV from the transfer to harvest. IPNV was found to be prevalent in both farms surveyed. In Farm A, IPNV was present throughout the growing period, from January to May, and all five randomly sampled cages tested positive for IPNV in March and April of 2007. In Farm B, IPNV was present only in February and March in 2007, and in 2008, IPNV was observed in January (two cages) and February (one cages) at low levels. Interestingly, IPNV was absent 2 weeks after transfer to the sea at 17.5°C. The same strain of IPNV, genotype III that was isolated from the same stock of fish at the hatchery, reoccurred when water temperatures dropped to 12°C in December in the Black Sea. Transferring fish to the sea at high water temperatures could lessen the negative impacts of IPNV on growth of rainbow trout in brackish water.

Naïve Atlantic salmon ( Salmo Salar L.) surviving a lethal challenge with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) shows upregulation of antiviral genes in head-kidney, including Vig-2

The differential gene expression profile of survivors of unvaccinated Atlantic salmon challenged by cohabitation (81% mortality) with a highly virulent strain of IPNV was studied using suppressive subtractive hybridisation (SSH). RNA was extracted from head-kidney from fish prior to IPNV challenge and 4 weeks post challenge (survivors). Five hundred and seventy six cDNA clones were randomly selected for sequencing, BLAST N and BLAST X analyses were performed. 180 unique genes were found, out of these 167 were singletons and 13 were contigs. These genes were grouped according to their putative functions using Blast2Go and TrEMBL. Ten out of 14 genes identified by SSH were confirmed by quantitative real time PCR. Representatives of almost all the biological functional groups were found, including immune and stress response, transcription, translation, metabolism and protein transport and all were upregulated in the survivor fish. Viral Haemorrhagic Septicaemia Virus induced gene 2 (Vig-2) was among the genes found to be upregulated in the survivors and this prompted us to assess the expression level of IFN-α and Mx, which were both found to be significantly upregulated, alongside inflammatory markers (P-selectin) and proteolysis genes (proteasome subunit alpha type 2). In summary the results obtained point towards innate responses being induced in surviving fish combined with factors involved in protein degradation and yet un-classified genes with regard to antiviral functions (Vig-2).

Evaluation of the level of Mx3 protein synthesis induced by infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) strains of different infectivity

The in vitro infectivity and genotype of three IPNV strains (V70, V112 and V98) was linked to the level of transcript synthesis for the Mx3 protein in RTG-2 (Rainbow trout gonad) cells and in Salmo salar. The V70 and V98 strains corresponded to the Sp genotype, whilst the V112 corresponded to VR-299; the presence of Pro-217 and Ala-221 in VP2 identified V70 as a strain of medium virulence level whilst V112 (Ala-217 and Thr-221) and V98 (Pro-217 and Thr-221) were of low virulence. This is concurrent with several in vitro tests which showed V70 to be a strain with highly infectivity (P<0.05). In both the in vitro and in vivo trials, the strains demonstrated the induction of the Mx transcript, although no differences were detected, and the level always were significantly lesser that observed in poly I:C samples. The results suggest that the infectivity observed is related to the presence of certain specific residues in VP2, and that neither the infectivity nor the genotype appears to bear any relation to Mx induction capacity.

Molecular characterisation of Australasian isolates of aquatic birnaviruses

An aquatic birnavirus, first isolated in Australia from farmed Atlantic salmon in Tasmania in 1998, has continued to be re-isolated on an infrequent but regular basis. Due to its low pathogenicity, there has been little urgency to undertake a comprehensive characterisation of this aquatic birnavirus. However, faced with possible incursions of any new aquatic birnaviruses, specific identification and differentiation of this virus from other, pathogenic, aquatic birnaviruses such as infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) are becoming increasingly important. The present study determined the nucleic acid sequence of the aquatic birnavirus originally isolated in 1998, as well as a subsequent isolate from 2002. The sequences of the VP2 and VP5 genes were compared to that of other aquatic birnaviruses, including non-pathogenic aquatic birnavirus isolates from New Zealand and pathogenic infectious pancreatic necrosis virus isolates from North America and Europe. The deduced amino acid (aa) sequences indicate that the Australian and New Zealand isolates fall within Genogroup 5 together with IPNV strains Sp, DPL, Fr10 and N1. Thus, Genogroup 5 appears to contain aquatic birnavirus isolates from quite diverse host and geographical ranges. Using the sequence information derived from this study, a simple diagnostic test has been developed that differentiates the current Australian isolates from all other aquatic birnaviruses, including the closely related isolates from New Zealand.

Experimental study of the susceptibility of Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (L.), to infection with an IPNV strain pathogenic for Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L

Intraperitoneal (IP) injection, cohabitation and immersion routes of infection were used to determine if Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua (L.), of 1 and 3 g are susceptible to infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN). Mortalities of cod injected IP were significantly higher when challenged with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) than with phosphate buffered saline. This is the first report of Atlantic cod mortalities caused by IPNV. Fish challenged by cohabitation had significantly higher mortalities than the controls, but mortalities of Atlantic cod challenged with IPNV by immersion were not significantly different from controls. Titres of IPNV in the tissues of infected fish were sometimes very high (range 10(2)-10(10) infectious units per gram of tissue) suggesting virus replication and titres of fish that died were generally higher than those of fish which survived. However, the relatively low mortality rates when challenged by cohabitation and immersion (20% and 17%, respectively), compared to the IP injection challenge (100%) suggest that 1 and 3 g cod have low susceptibility to IPN when challenged by more natural routes. These data strongly suggest that the cause of death of experimentally challenged cod was IPNV and further histological evidence for this came from 1 g cod challenged IP with IPNV in which the pancreas showed severe necrosis and heavy immunostaining for IPNV coincidentally with the peak of mortalities.

Binding of infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) to membrane proteins from different fish cell lines

The early interactions between infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) from Atlantic salmon and susceptible cell lines were studied using a virus overlay protein binding assay (VOPBA). Membrane preparations from four different cell lines, bluegill fry (BF)-2 cells, Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE)-214 cells, salmon head kidney (SHK)-1 cells and Atlantic salmon kidney (ASK) cells were separated by SDS-PAGE, blotted to nitrocellulose membranes and incubated with either a highly virulent IPNV field isolate or different recombinant IPNV strains exhibiting variations in virulence. Binding of virus to the respective membrane fractions was detected using either polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies. Independent of variations in virulence, IPNV bound in a specific manner to an approximately 220-kDa membrane protein from the salmonid cell lines CHSE-214, SHK-1 and ASK, whereas the size of the binding protein from the non-salmonid cell line BF-2 was approximately 190 kDa. Neutralization of IPNV prior to incubation with the blotted membrane fractions inhibited binding to the indicated proteins. Complete deglycosylation of the membrane proteins did not interfere with the binding of IPNV, suggesting that the interaction between virus and cells is not carbohydrate specific. The described binding proteins may represent putative cellular binding sites or receptors for IPNV.