Virulence of a chimeric recombinant infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus expressing the spring viraemia of carp virus glycoprotein in salmonid and cyprinid fish

• Published in: Journal of fish diseases Vol. 41; no. 1; pp. 67 - 78
• Main Authors: Emmenegger, E J, Biacchesi, S, Mérour, E, Glenn, J A, Palmer, A D, Brémont, M, Kurath, G
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.01.2018; Wiley
• Subjects: Animal biology; Animal health; Animals; Carp; Carps - virology; Cyprinus carpio; Defence mechanisms; Disease control; Fish; Fish Diseases - immunology; Fish Diseases - prevention & control; Fish Diseases - virology; Freshwater fishes; Gangrene; Genomes; glycoprotein; Glycoproteins; Glycoproteins - genetics; Immersion; Immune response; Immune system; Immunity; Infections; Infectious diseases; infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus; Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus - genetics; Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus - immunology; Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus - pathogenicity; Injection; koi; Life Sciences; Microbiological strains; Microbiology and Parasitology; Mortality; Necrosis; Oncorhynchus mykiss; Oncorhynchus mykiss - virology; Organizations; rainbow trout; recombinant virus; Recombinants; Rhabdoviridae Infections - immunology; Rhabdoviridae Infections - prevention & control; Rhabdoviridae Infections - veterinary; Spring; spring viraemia of carp virus; Trout; Vaccine development; Vaccines; Vesiculovirus - genetics; Viral Vaccines - biosynthesis; Viral Vaccines - genetics; Viral Vaccines - immunology; Viremia; Virology; Virulence; Viruses; recombinant virus; glycoprotein; koi; rainbow trout; infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus; spring viraemia of carp virus
• ISSN: 0140-7775; 1365-2761
• DOI: 10.1111/jfd.12678

Infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and spring viraemia of carp virus (SVCV) are both rhabdoviruses of fish, listed as notifiable disease agents by the World Organization for Animal Health. Recombinant rhabdoviruses with heterologous gene substitutions have been engineered to study genetic determinants and assess the potential of these recombinant viruses for vaccine development. A recombinant IHNV (rIHNV), containing the full‐length genome of a European IHNV strain, was modified by deleting the glycoprotein (G) gene and replacing it with a European SVCV G‐gene to make the rIHNV‐Gsvcv. The chimeric rIHNV‐Gsvcv level of virulence in rainbow trout, common carp and koi was assessed, and its ability to induce a protective immune response in surviving koi against wild‐type SVCV infection was tested. The rIHNV‐Gsvcv infection of trout led to high mortality, ranging from 78% to 92.5%, after immersion. In contrast, no deaths occurred in juvenile common carp after infection with rIHNV‐Gsvcv by either immersion or intraperitoneal (IP) injection. Similarly, koi infected with rIHNV‐Gsvcv via IP injection had little to no mortality (≤9%). Koi that survived initial infection with a high dose of recombinant virus rIHNV‐Gsvcv were protected against a virulent SVCV challenge resulting in a high relative per cent survival of 82.5%.