Identification of a novel RNA virus lethal to tilapia

Marina Eyngor, Rachel Zamostiano, Japhette Esther Kembou Tsofack, Asaf Berkowitz, Hillel Bercovier, Simon Tinman, Menachem Lev, Avshalom Hurvitz, Marco Galeotti, Eran Bacharach, Avi Eldar

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

251 Scopus citations

Abstract

Tilapines are important for the sustainability of ecological systems and serve as the second most important group of farmed fish worldwide. Significant mortality of wild and cultured tilapia has been observed recently in Israel. The etiological agent of this disease, a novel RNA virus, is described here, and procedures allowing its isolation and detection are revealed. The virus, denominated tilapia lake virus (TiLV), was propagated in primary tilapia brain cells or in an E-11 cell line, and it induced a cytopathic effect at 5 to 10 days postinfection. Electron microscopy revealed enveloped icosahedral particles of 55 to 75 nm. Low-passage TiLV, injected intraperitoneally in tilapia, induced a disease resembling the natural disease, which typically presents with lethargy, ocular alterations, and skin erosions, with>80% mortality. Histological changes included congestion of the internal organs (kidneys and brain) with foci of gliosis and perivascular cuffing of lymphocytes in the brain cortex; ocular inflammation included endophthalmitis and cataractous changes of the lens. The cohabitation of healthy and diseased fish demonstrated that the disease is contagious and that mortalities (80 to 100%) occur within a few days. Fish surviving the initial mortality were immune to further TiLV infections, suggesting the mounting of a protective immune response. Screening cDNA libraries identified a TiLV-specific sequence, allowing the design of a PCR-based diagnostic test. This test enables the specific identification of TiLV in tilapines and should help control the spread of this virus worldwide.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4137-4146
Number of pages10
JournalJournal of Clinical Microbiology
Volume52
Issue number12
DOIs
StatePublished - 1 Dec 2014

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2014, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Identification of a novel RNA virus lethal to tilapia'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this