Piscine reovirus (PRV): Characterisation, Atlantic Salmon susceptibility, and initial survey in farmed and wild salmonids in Atlantic Canada

16-1-G-01

Description

The piscine reovirus or PRV is a recently identified virus that has been linked to Heart and Skeletal Muscle Inflammation (HSMI) in Atlantic Salmon. HSMI was demonstrated as an infectious disease, however, the role of PRV in HSMI continues to be studied, as PRV is often found without symptoms of HSMI. Although the host range of this virus appears primarily restricted to salmonids, it has been occasionally detected in a few non-salmonid species.

In 2015, a small sample of Atlantic Salmon from different sources on the East Coast was tested and the presence of PRV was detected for the first time. During genetic sequencing, it was discovered that the strain of virus found on the East Coast bore a close resemblance to the West Coast strain of PRV. As there are no reports of HSMI-like syndromes in salmon on the East coast, the significance of PRV detection is unclear. HSMI was recently diagnosed for the first time on the Pacific Coast; given that no cases of HSMI have been diagnosed on the Atlantic Coast, this suggests that PRV on the East Coast of Canada may not be harmful, or that factors other than the presence of PRV are required to cause the disease.

A survey and characterisation of the local PRV are important in order to know the current distribution of the virus on the East Coast, and the potential for PRV to compromise wild and farmed Atlantic Salmon. This research builds on other studies about PRV, including 16-1-P-03.

Program name

Aquaculture Collaborative Research and Development Program (ACRDP)

Years

Three years: 2016-2019

Principal investigator

Nellie Gagné, research scientist, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Fisheries Centre, Gulf Region
Email: Nellie.Gagne@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

Team members

Delphine Ditlecadet, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Fisheries Centre, Gulf Region
Crystal Collette-Belliveau, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Fisheries Centre, Gulf Region
Jean-René Arseneau, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Fisheries Centre, Gulf Region
Francis Leblanc, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Fisheries Centre, Gulf Region
Steven Leadbeater, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, St. Andrews Biological Station, Maritimes Region
Philip Byrne, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Gulf Biocontainment Unit, Gulf Region

Collaborators

Keng Pee Ang, Kelly Cove Salmon Ltd.