ISOLATION OF VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA VIRUS FROM ATLANTIC HERRINGCLUPEA-HARENGUS FROM THE ENGLISH-CHANNEL

Viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) was isolated from apparent ly healthy Atlantic herring Clupea harengus from the English Channel. The virus was isolated in bluegill fibroblast (BF-2) cells but not epi thelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells; however, the virus was passage d from BF-2 to EPC cells. The identity of the virus was confirmed by a n enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and by a reverse transcriptase-pol ymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The virus was classified as a member of genogroup III of VHSV, which comprises many European freshwater and marine VHSV isolates. Sequence comparisons of the RT-PCR products sho wed that the herring isolate was closely related (99.1% nucleotide sim ilarity) to a VHSV isolate from Atlantic cod Gadus morhua; both of tho se isolates were avirulent for rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss by ba th infection. Circumstantial evidence is presented which suggests that VHSV from herring could have been the source of VHS disease in rainbo w trout in Denmark.