Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2017

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E22

A survey of three viruses in wild and cultured salmon in Iceland

Höfundar / Authors: Harpa Mjöll Gunnarsdóttir, Heiða Sigurðardóttir, Birkir Þór Bragason and Sigríður Guðmundsdóttir

Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: Tilraunastöð Háskóla Íslands í meinafræði að Keldum, Rannsóknadeild fisksjúkdóma

Kynnir / Presenter: Heiða Sigurðardóttir

With increasing culture in net pens around Iceland, the need for information on the status regarding pathogens that are common in aquaculture around the North-Atlantic Ocean is obvious. The aim of the survey was to screen groups of wild and cultured Atlantic salmon for three viruses. These are infectious salmon anemia virus (ISAV), piscine myocarditis virus (PMCV) and piscine reovirus (PRV).
The survey groups included juveniles and adult fish and were divided into three categories: salmon from wild origin, offspring of an old stock of sea-ranching brood fish and cultured salmon. Tissue samples from individual fish were placed in RLT-buffer. RNA was isolated and used for RT-qPCR virus assays. PRV positive samples were sequenced.
All samples tested were negative for PMCV and ISAV. PRV was detected in all groups except one. In the wild fish category, PRV frequency ranged between 0-100%, while in the sea-ranching and cultured category it was 95-100%. The distribution of cycle threshold values varied in the groups, representing variable levels of virus in the samples. The lowest levels of virus were observed in the wild fish.
The results show that PRV is widespread in Atlantic salmon in Iceland. Similar observations have been reported in surveys elsewhere. Sequences obtained were identical within each group of salmon but there were differences between the salmon groups. The sequences showed similarity to PRV isolates from Norway and Canada and were classified as genotype 1a.