Detection of Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHSV) from marine fish in the South Western Coastal Area and East China Sea

Abstract

Division of Food Science and Aqualife Medicine, Chonnam National University, Yeosu 550-749, Republic of KoreaViral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) is one of the most serious viral disease of farmed rainbow trout andsome marine fishes in Europe and North America. It has been reported in various marine fish species ofAsian countries and induced cause mass mortality in Japanese flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) culturingin Korea. The aims of this study were to monitor VHSV in wild marine fishes and to give critical informa-tion for controling the disease through prophylactic methods. Prevalence of the viral disease, geological dis-tribution and reservoir of the virus were investigated using wild marine fishes captured in southern coastand east china sea for two years. (Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction) RT-PCR resultsshowed that VHSV were detected in 17 (10.6%) out of 160 fish. G gene sequences of viral strains isolatedin this study were closely related to that of a reference strain, KVHS01-1, belonging to VHSV genotype Ⅰ.The results suggest that some of wild marine fishes are VHSV carriers and may spread the pathogen directlyto fish farmed in coastal area.Key words: VHS, Distribution, RT-PCR, Southern coastVHS는주로유럽의담수무지개송어 (On-corhynchys mykiss)에심각한바이러스성질병이었지만, 담수어류뿐만아니라해산어류에도감염을일으켰으며 (Mortensen et al., 1999; Smail,1999), 자연산대구(Gadus morhua), 청어(Clu-pea harengus)와양식된터봇 (Scophthalmusmaximus) 등다양한해산어류에서도 VHSV가분리되었다(Schlotfeldt et al., 1991; Ross et al.,1994; Mortenson et al., 1999; Mayers et al., 1999).최근에는일본과우리나라양식된넙치에서VHS에의한대량폐사가발생하였고 (Isshiki etal., 2001 ; Kim et al., 2003), Takano et al. (2000,2001)은자연산넙치 (Paralichithys olivaceus)에서MABV와VHSV 분리를보고하였으며, 또한국내에서는부산인근해역의숭어 (Mugilcephalus)와포항인근해역의고등어 (Scomberjaponicus)에서VHSV가보고되었다 (Kim andPark, 2004). 따라서병원성바이러스인VHSV가넓은숙주역을가지고있으며유럽뿐만아니라아시아의다양한해산어류에발병의가능성을내재하고있다. 또한, VHSV는G gene 염기서열에기초하여 3가지genogroup으로나누어지는