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Viral erythrocytic necrosis in fish: a review

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 December 2011

D. A. Smail
D. A. Smail
Affiliation:
D.A.F.S. Marine Laboratory, Victoria Road, Aberdeen AB9 8DB
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Synopsis

Viral erythrocytic necrosis (VEN) in fish is prevalent in a wide variety offish species. It has been detected in both wild and captive fish populations. The infection prevalence in wild populations of some fish species is correlated inversely with the age of the fish. VEN is characterised by cytoplasmic inclusions in circulating erythrocytes of infected fish; nuclear necrosis of erythrocytes may also be evident by light microscopy. The stage and degree of infection affect the type of cytology seen in VEN infections of different fish species. By electron microscopy, infected erythrocytes show spherical virions within the cytoplasm and the virion size is characteristic of the host erythrocytes infected. To date, knowledge of VEN viruses in fish is restricted to virus morphology and propagation in vivo, although preliminary studies have indicated the type of blood parameters which VEN can affect. No such virus has been fully isolated and characterised and all of Koch's postulates have not been fulfilled.

Type
Research Article
Information
Proceedings of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Section B: Biological Sciences , Volume 81 , Issue 3: Marine fish diseases , 1982 , pp. 169 - 176
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1982

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