DAO prepress abstract - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/dao03837
First report of Acipenser herpesvirus-2 (AciHV-2) in Danube sturgeons (A. gueldenstaedtii) in Austria
Hella Schwegler, Laurent Bigarré, Karoline Lipnik, Nora Dinhopl, Astrid Holzer, Eva Lewisch*
ABSTRACT: Newly stocked Danube sturgeons (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) developed cutaneous lesions and nearly 100% mortality in the course of two months after introduction into an Austrian fish farm. Necropsy revealed cutaneous plaques and hemorrhages, and histological findings in skin, gills, spleen, and kidney tissues showed cell-nucleus alterations consistent with infection by a herpesvirus. The presence of a herpesvirus was demonstrated by the visualization of numerous typical viral particles in different tissues by electron microscopy. A newly developed conventional PCR protocol, targeting a fragment of the viral DNA polymerase gene, further confirmed the presence of a virus related to Acipenser herpesvirus-2 in the diseased fish. Amplification products were sequenced and showed 100% identity to a Siberian sturgeon herpesvirus (SbSHV) strain. This is the first report of herpesvirus detection in sturgeon in Austria and of SbSHV, a strain of AciHV-2, in Danube sturgeons.