Megalocytivirus and Other Members of the Family <i>Iridoviridae</i> in Finfish: A Review of the Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Prevention and Control
Aquaculture has expanded to become the fastest growing food-producing sector in the world. However, its expansion has come under threat due to an increase in diseases caused by pathogens such as iridoviruses commonly found in aquatic environments used for fish farming. Of the seven members belonging...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-06-01
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| Series: | Viruses |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/15/6/1359 |
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| author | Pan Qin Hetron Mweemba Munang’andu Cheng Xu Jianjun Xie |
| author_facet | Pan Qin Hetron Mweemba Munang’andu Cheng Xu Jianjun Xie |
| author_sort | Pan Qin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Aquaculture has expanded to become the fastest growing food-producing sector in the world. However, its expansion has come under threat due to an increase in diseases caused by pathogens such as iridoviruses commonly found in aquatic environments used for fish farming. Of the seven members belonging to the family <i>Iridoviridae</i>, the three genera causing diseases in fish comprise ranaviruses, lymphocystiviruses and megalocytiviruses. These three genera are serious impediments to the expansion of global aquaculture because of their tropism for a wide range of farmed-fish species in which they cause high mortality. As economic losses caused by these iridoviruses in aquaculture continue to rise, the urgent need for effective control strategies increases. As a consequence, these viruses have attracted a lot of research interest in recent years. The functional role of some of the genes that form the structure of iridoviruses has not been elucidated. There is a lack of information on the predisposing factors leading to iridovirus infections in fish, an absence of information on the risk factors leading to disease outbreaks, and a lack of data on the chemical and physical properties of iridoviruses needed for the implementation of biosecurity control measures. Thus, the synopsis put forth herein provides an update of knowledge gathered from studies carried out so far aimed at addressing the aforesaid informational gaps. In summary, this review provides an update on the etiology of different iridoviruses infecting finfish and epidemiological factors leading to the occurrence of disease outbreaks. In addition, the review provides an update on the cell lines developed for virus isolation and culture, the diagnostic tools used for virus detection and characterization, the current advances in vaccine development and the use of biosecurity in the control of iridoviruses in aquaculture. Overall, we envision that the information put forth in this review will contribute to developing effective control strategies against iridovirus infections in aquaculture. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:50:35Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f8edb17dcaff4b1597827b585f010581 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T01:50:35Z |
| publishDate | 2023-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Viruses |
| spelling | doaj.art-f8edb17dcaff4b1597827b585f0105812023-11-18T13:02:43ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152023-06-01156135910.3390/v15061359Megalocytivirus and Other Members of the Family <i>Iridoviridae</i> in Finfish: A Review of the Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Prevention and ControlPan Qin0Hetron Mweemba Munang’andu1Cheng Xu2Jianjun Xie3Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, ChinaFaculty of Biosciences and Aquaculture, Nord University, 8026 Bodø, NorwayDepartment of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, 1433 Ås, NorwayKey Laboratory of Mariculture and Enhancement of Zhejiang Province, Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Zhejiang, Zhoushan 316100, ChinaAquaculture has expanded to become the fastest growing food-producing sector in the world. However, its expansion has come under threat due to an increase in diseases caused by pathogens such as iridoviruses commonly found in aquatic environments used for fish farming. Of the seven members belonging to the family <i>Iridoviridae</i>, the three genera causing diseases in fish comprise ranaviruses, lymphocystiviruses and megalocytiviruses. These three genera are serious impediments to the expansion of global aquaculture because of their tropism for a wide range of farmed-fish species in which they cause high mortality. As economic losses caused by these iridoviruses in aquaculture continue to rise, the urgent need for effective control strategies increases. As a consequence, these viruses have attracted a lot of research interest in recent years. The functional role of some of the genes that form the structure of iridoviruses has not been elucidated. There is a lack of information on the predisposing factors leading to iridovirus infections in fish, an absence of information on the risk factors leading to disease outbreaks, and a lack of data on the chemical and physical properties of iridoviruses needed for the implementation of biosecurity control measures. Thus, the synopsis put forth herein provides an update of knowledge gathered from studies carried out so far aimed at addressing the aforesaid informational gaps. In summary, this review provides an update on the etiology of different iridoviruses infecting finfish and epidemiological factors leading to the occurrence of disease outbreaks. In addition, the review provides an update on the cell lines developed for virus isolation and culture, the diagnostic tools used for virus detection and characterization, the current advances in vaccine development and the use of biosecurity in the control of iridoviruses in aquaculture. Overall, we envision that the information put forth in this review will contribute to developing effective control strategies against iridovirus infections in aquaculture.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/15/6/1359megalocytivirusesranaviruseslymphocystivirusesvaccinesbiosecurityetiology |
| spellingShingle | Pan Qin Hetron Mweemba Munang’andu Cheng Xu Jianjun Xie Megalocytivirus and Other Members of the Family <i>Iridoviridae</i> in Finfish: A Review of the Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Prevention and Control Viruses megalocytiviruses ranaviruses lymphocystiviruses vaccines biosecurity etiology |
| title | Megalocytivirus and Other Members of the Family <i>Iridoviridae</i> in Finfish: A Review of the Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Prevention and Control |
| title_full | Megalocytivirus and Other Members of the Family <i>Iridoviridae</i> in Finfish: A Review of the Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Prevention and Control |
| title_fullStr | Megalocytivirus and Other Members of the Family <i>Iridoviridae</i> in Finfish: A Review of the Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Prevention and Control |
| title_full_unstemmed | Megalocytivirus and Other Members of the Family <i>Iridoviridae</i> in Finfish: A Review of the Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Prevention and Control |
| title_short | Megalocytivirus and Other Members of the Family <i>Iridoviridae</i> in Finfish: A Review of the Etiology, Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Prevention and Control |
| title_sort | megalocytivirus and other members of the family i iridoviridae i in finfish a review of the etiology epidemiology diagnosis prevention and control |
| topic | megalocytiviruses ranaviruses lymphocystiviruses vaccines biosecurity etiology |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/15/6/1359 |
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