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      The contribution of molecular epidemiology to the understanding and control of viral diseases of salmonid aquaculture

      review-article
      1 ,
      Veterinary Research
      BioMed Central

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          Abstract

          Molecular epidemiology is a science which utilizes molecular biology to define the distribution of disease in a population (descriptive epidemiology) and relies heavily on integration of traditional (or analytical) epidemiological approaches to identify the etiological determinants of this distribution. The study of viral pathogens of aquaculture has provided many exciting opportunities to apply such tools. This review considers the extent to which molecular epidemiological studies have contributed to better understanding and control of disease in aquaculture, drawing on examples of viral diseases of salmonid fish of commercial significance including viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV), salmonid alphavirus (SAV) and infectious salmon anaemia virus (ISAV). Significant outcomes of molecular epidemiological studies include:

          Improved taxonomic classification of viruses

          A better understanding of the natural distribution of viruses

          An improved understanding of the origins of viral pathogens in aquaculture

          An improved understanding of the risks of translocation of pathogens outwith their natural host range

          An increased ability to trace the source of new disease outbreaks

          Development of a basis for ensuring development of appropriate diagnostic tools

          An ability to classify isolates and thus target future research aimed at better understanding biological function

          While molecular epidemiological studies have no doubt already made a significant contribution in these areas, the advent of new technologies such as pyrosequencing heralds a quantum leap in the ability to generate descriptive molecular sequence data. The ability of molecular epidemiology to fulfil its potential to translate complex disease pathways into relevant fish health policy is thus unlikely to be limited by the generation of descriptive molecular markers. More likely, full realisation of the potential to better explain viral transmission pathways will be dependent on the ability to assimilate and analyse knowledge from a range of more traditional information sources. The development of methods to systematically record and share such epidemiologically important information thus represents a major challenge for fish health professionals in making the best future use of molecular data in supporting fish health policy and disease control.

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          Most cited references54

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          Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus in marine fish and its implications for fish farming--a review.

          Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) has, in recent decades, been isolated from an increasing number of free-living marine fish species. So far, it has been isolated from at least 48 fish species from the northern hemisphere, including North America, Asia and Europe, and fifteen different species including herring, sprat, cod, Norway pout and flatfish from northern European waters. The high number of VHSV isolations from the Baltic Sea, Kattegat, Skagerrak, the North Sea and waters around Scotland indicate that the virus is endemic in these waters. The VHSV isolates originating from wild marine fish show no to low pathogenicity to rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon, although several are pathogenic for turbot. Marine VHSV isolates are so far serologically indistinguishable from freshwater isolates. Genotyping based on VHSV G- and N-genes reveals four groups indicating the geographical origin of the isolates, with one group representing traditional European freshwater isolates and isolates of north European marine origin, a second group of marine isolates from the Baltic Sea, a third group of isolates from the North Sea, and a group representing North American isolates. Examples of possible transfer of virus from free-living marine fish to farmed fish are discussed, as are measures to prevent introduction of VHSV from the marine environment to aquaculture.
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            Perspective: Virulence

            J. Bull (1994)
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              Viral abundance in aquatic systems:a comparison between marine and fresh waters

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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Vet Res
                Veterinary Research
                BioMed Central
                0928-4249
                1297-9716
                2011
                5 April 2011
                : 42
                : 1
                : 56
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Marine Scotland Science, 375 Victoria Road, Aberdeen, AB11 9DB Scotland, UK
                Article
                1297-9716-42-56
                10.1186/1297-9716-42-56
                3080810
                21466673
                4d85c795-86a9-422c-8cde-cb9f945a120e
                Copyright ©2011 Snow; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

                This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

                History
                : 16 August 2010
                : 1 December 2010
                Categories
                Review

                Veterinary medicine
                Veterinary medicine

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