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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Orono, Maine » National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #388370
Research Project: Genetic Improvement of North American Atlantic Salmon and the Eastern Oyster for Aquaculture Production

Location: National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center

Title: Intermittent detections of ISAV-HPR0 in a salmon recirculating aquaculture system, and implications for sampling

Author
item Pietrak, Michael
item WARG, JANET - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item GUSTAFSON, LORI - Animal And Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)
item Peterson, Brian

Submitted to: Fishes
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/16/2024
Publication Date: 8/17/2024
Citation: Pietrak, M.R., Warg, J., Gustafson, L., Peterson, B.C. 2024. Intermittent detections of ISAV-HPR0 in a salmon recirculating aquaculture system, and implications for sampling. Fishes. 9(8):325-337. https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080325.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes9080325

Interpretive Summary: Atlantic salmon can be infected with a virus that has two forms, one that causes significant disease and one that does not. The presence of the disease can cause salmon farmers significant economic costs and regulatory challenges. In 2016, the non-disease causing form of the virus was detected in a group of fish at the National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center. All of the fish that were still alive were then tested for the next 9 months to see if the virus could be found. Failure to find the virus again suggests that infections with the non-disease causing form are short term.

Technical Abstract: Infectious Salmon Anemia Virus (ISAV) is an important pathogen in global Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) aquaculture. The pathogen presents significant health risk, economic impacts, and regulatory challenges. One of the challenges has been the existence of a non-pathogenic form of the virus (ISAV-HPR0) that cannot be cultured in the lab like the pathogenic form of the virus, ISAV-' or ISAV-deleted can be. In 2016 a group of spawning fish tested positive for ISAV-HPR0 at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Cold Water Marine Aquaculture Center (NCWMAC). A group of brood fish remained from the group of positive fish after test results were received. This cohort was lethally sampled repeatedly over the following 9 months. Unfortunately, no additional positive samples were found, suggesting that ISAV-HPR0 infections are likely of short-term duration.