USGS ScienceSearch

SEARCH · USGS Science

Results for “Viruses”

Search indexed USGS publications on groundwater, aquifers, geologic maps, mineral resources and earthquakes. Explore source records by subject and place.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Vertical transmission of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus in sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum): isolation of virus from dead eggs and fry

The control of epizootics of infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IIHN) virus in salmonid fishes is presently based on examination and certification of adult brood fish to prevent the introduction of virus-infected eggs into hatcheries (Canadian Fisherics and Marine Service 1976; McDaniel 1979). This strategy is based on the assumption that the virus is vertically transmitted in association with the gametes. However, evidence for vertical transmission of lHN virus is circumstantial, based mostly on the appearance of the disease outside the enzootic area (the west coast of North America) in fish hatched from eggs obtained from within that area (Plumb 1972; Holway & Smith 1973; Wolf, Quimby, Pettijohn & Landolt 1973, Sano, Nishimura, Okamoto, Yamazaki, Hanada & Watanabe 1977. Carlisle, Schat & Elston 1979). An indirect demonstration of vertical transmission was made by placing known virus-free fish in the water above and below raceways containing fish that suffered an IEEN epizootic in an cffort to climinate waterborne virus as a source of infection (Wingficid & Chan 1970). The fish placed below the raceway developed IHN, due to waterborne virus released from the affected fish in the raceway, but the fish placed above the raceway failed to develop IHN. These results suggested that the source of infection of the fish in the raceway was not the water supply, although it is possible that the virus was no longer present in the water supply at the time the sentinel fish were exposed to the water.

Journal of Fish Diseases

Detection of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus in river water and demonstration of waterborne transmission

In a study of the possible role of waterborne infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus in transmission of the disease among spawning sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), both infection rates and virus titres were higher in fish held at high density in a side channel than in fish in the adjacent river. Virus was never isolated from river water, but was found in water from the side channel at levels ranging from 32.5 to 1600 plaque-forming units (p.f.u.)/ml. Uninfected yearling sockeye salmon held in a box in the side channel developed localized gill infections with IHN virus. The disease did not progress to the viscera until a threshold titre of about 10 5 p.f.u./g was reached in the gill. The effectiveness of the gill as a barrier limiting development of systemic infections means that waterborne IHN virus probably does not greatly increase the infection rate in a sockeye salmon population during spawning.

Journal of Fish Diseases

Evidence for common ancestry among viruses isolated from wild birds in Beringia and highly pathogenic intercontinental reassortant H5N1 and H5N2 influenza A viruses

Highly pathogenic clade 2.3.4.4 H5N8, H5N2, and H5N1 influenza A viruses were first detected in wild, captive, and domestic birds in North America in November–December 2014. In this study, we used wild waterbird samples collected in Alaska prior to the initial detection of clade 2.3.4.4 H5 influenza A viruses in North America to assess the evidence for: (1) dispersal of highly pathogenic influenza A viruses from East Asia to North America by migratory birds via Alaska and (2) ancestral origins of clade 2.3.4.4 H5 reassortant viruses in Beringia. Although we did not detect highly pathogenic influenza A viruses in our sample collection from western Alaska, we did identify viruses that contained gene segments sharing recent common ancestry with intercontinental reassortant H5N2 and H5N1 viruses. Results of phylogenetic analyses and estimates for times of most recent common ancestry support migratory birds sampled in Beringia as maintaining viral diversity closely related to novel highly pathogenic influenza A virus genotypes detected in North America. Although our results do not elucidate the route by which highly pathogenic influenza A viruses were introduced into North America, genetic evidence is consistent with the hypothesized trans-Beringian route of introduction via migratory birds.

Infection, Genetics and Evolution

Retention of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus infectivity in fish tissue homogenates and fluids stored at three temperatures.

Pools of brain, kidney, spleen, liver and gut tissues from several rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri Richardson, and whole sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka (Walbaum), fry were homogenized with a known amount of infectious haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV). Virus was also added to ovarian fluids and sera pooled from several rainbow trout. The plaque assay was used to determine the retention of IHNV infectivity after different storage periods at 20°C, 4°C and —20°C. The work was used to evaluate homogenization as a remote field treatment of IHNV samples before shipment to the laboratory. Maintenance of viral infectivity varied widely among different homogenates and fluids. For short-term storage, 4°C was generally the most efficient temperature for preserving infectious virus in ovarian fluids, Sera and homogenates of eggs, spleen, whole fry and brain, while infectivity was most efficiently preserved in kidney and liver homogenates by storage at −20°C. Infectious virus was not detected in any sample stored for one year at −20°C. Variations in retention of viral infectivity make homogenization of samples in the field followed by transfer to the laboratory unacceptable.

Journal of Fish Diseases

Satellite‐tracking of Northern Pintail Anas acuta during outbreaks of the H5N1 virus in Japan: Implications for virus spread

We fitted Northern Pintail Anas acuta in Japan with satellite transmitters and monitored their spring migration movements relative to locations where the highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus was detected in Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus in 2008. Pintails were assumed not to be infected with the H5N1 virus at the time they were marked because capture occurred between 2 and 5 months before reported outbreaks of the virus in Japan. We assessed spatial and temporal overlap between marked birds and occurrence of the virus and tracked Pintails after they departed outbreak locations. Eight of 66 (12.1%) Northern Pintails marked with satellite transmitters used wetlands in Japan where the H5N1 virus was detected in Whooper Swans. Apparent survival did not differ between Pintails that used H5N1 sites and those that did not. However, the proportion of Pintails that migrated from Japan was significantly lower among birds that used H5N1 sites compared with those that did not (0.50 vs. 0.79). Northern Pintails were present at the H5N1 sites from 1 to 88 days, with five birds present at the sites from 0 to 7 days prior to detection of the virus in Swans. The six Pintails observed to depart H5N1 sites did so within 2–77 days of the reported outbreaks and moved between 6 and 1200 km within 4 days of departure. Four Pintails migrated to eastern Russia. After their departure from outbreak sites, Northern Pintails made long‐distance migrations within the period when newly infected ducks would shed the H5N1 virus. This supports a hypothesized mechanism by which a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus could be spread by migratory birds.

Ibis

Cutthroat trout virus as a surrogate in vitro infection model for testing inhibitors of hepatitis E virus replication

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is one of the most important causes of acute hepatitis worldwide. Although most infections are self-limiting, mortality is particularly high in pregnant women. Chronic infections can occur in transplant and other immune-compromised patients. Successful treatment of chronic hepatitis E has been reported with ribavirin and pegylated interferon-alpha, however severe side effects were observed. We employed the cutthroat trout virus (CTV), a non-pathogenic fish virus with remarkable similarities to HEV, as a potential surrogate for HEV and established an antiviral assay against this virus using the Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE-214) cell line. Ribavirin and the respective trout interferon were found to efficiently inhibit CTV replication. Other known broad-spectrum inhibitors of RNA virus replication such as the nucleoside analog 2′-C-methylcytidine resulted only in a moderate antiviral activity. In its natural fish host, CTV levels largely fluctuate during the reproductive cycle with the virus detected mainly during spawning. We wondered whether this aspect of CTV infection may serve as a surrogate model for the peculiar pathogenesis of HEV in pregnant women. To that end the effect of three sex steroids on in vitro CTV replication was evaluated. Whereas progesterone resulted in marked inhibition of virus replication, testosterone and 17β-estradiol stimulated viral growth. Our data thus indicate that CTV may serve as a surrogate model for HEV, both for antiviral experiments and studies on the replication biology of the Hepeviridae.

Antiviral Research

Low-pathogenic influenza A viruses in North American diving ducks contribute to the emergence of a novel highly pathogenic influenza A(H7N8) virus

Introductions of low-pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) viruses of subtypes H5 and H7 into poultry from wild birds have the potential to mutate to highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses, but such viruses' origins are often unclear. In January 2016, a novel H7N8 HPAI virus caused an outbreak in turkeys in Indiana, USA. To determine the virus's origin, we sequenced the genomes of 441 wild-bird origin influenza A viruses (IAVs) from North America and subjected them to evolutionary analyses. The results showed that the H7N8 LPAI virus most likely circulated among diving ducks in the Mississippi flyway during autumn 2015 and was subsequently introduced to Indiana turkeys, in which it evolved high pathogenicity. Preceding the outbreak, an isolate with six gene segments (PB2, PB1, PA, HA, NA, and NS) sharing >99% sequence identity with those of H7N8 turkey isolates was recovered from a diving duck sampled in Kentucky, USA. H4N8 IAVs from other diving ducks possessed five H7N8-like gene segments (PB2, PB1, NA, MP, and NS; >98% sequence identity). Our findings suggest that viral gene constellations circulating among diving ducks can contribute to the emergence of IAVs that affect poultry. Therefore, diving ducks may serve an important and understudied role in the maintenance, diversification, and transmission of IAVs in the wild-bird reservoir.

Journal of Virology

Inactivation of viable surrogates for the select agents virulent Newcastle disease virus and highly pathogenic avian influenza virus using either commercial lysis buffer or heat

Introduction: Federal Select Agent Program regulations require laboratories to document a validated procedure for inactivating select agents prior to movement outside registered space. Avian influenza viruses and virulent Newcastle disease virus (vNDV) are cultured in chicken amnio-allantoic fluid (AAF), but the efficacy of commercial lysis buffers to inactivate viruses in protein-rich media has not been documented. Objectives: We assesses the efficacy of MagMAX™ lysis buffer for inactivating highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) and vNDV in chicken AAF and confirm the inactivation of avian influenza in serum using heat. Methods: Low pathogenic avian influenza virus (LPAIV) and avian paramyxovirus subtype-1 (APMV-1) were incubated with lysis buffer and tested for viability. Known viable LPAIV and APMV-1 RNA was extracted from AAF using MagMAX™-96 AI/ND Viral RNA Isolation kit, and the eluate was tested for remaining infectious agent. Finally, inactivation of LPAIV in serum was examined over 3 combinations of temperature and incubation time. Results: MagMAX™ lysis buffer inactivated both LPAIV and APMV-1 in AAF when incubated for 30 minutes at room temperature. The full extraction process eliminated viable virus from the final RNA eluate. LPAIV in serum heated to 70°C for 30 minutes was rendered noninfectious. Conclusion: The ability of a diagnostic laboratory to move samples from one space to another is critical to maintaining biosecurity as well as efficient laboratory workflow. Our study demonstrates a method to ensure the inactivation of viable avian influenza and avian paramyxoviruses in AAF, RNA eluate, and viable avian influenza virus in sera.

Applied Biosafety

In vitro infection of salmonid epidermal tissues by infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus

The ability of two rhabdoviruses, infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), to infect fish skin was investigated by in vitro infection of excised tissues. Virus replication was determined by plaque assay of homogenized tissue extracts, and the virus antigen was detected by immunohistology of tissue sections. Gill, fin, and ventral abdominal skin tissues of rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss that had been infected in vitro with a virulent strain of IHNV (193–110) produced substantial increases in virus titer within 24 h. Titers continued to increase up until day 3 of incubation; by this time, virus had increased 1,000-fold or more. This increase in IHNV titer occurred in epidermal tissues of fingerlings and of older fish. In another experiment, IHNV replicated in excised rainbow trout tissues whether the fish had been subject to prior infection with a virulent strain of IHNV (Western Regional Aquaculture Consortium isolate) or whether the fish had been infected previously with an attenuated strain of the virus (Nan Scott Lake, with 100 passes in culture). A virulent strain of VHSV (23/75) replicated effectively in excised gill tissues and epidermal tissues of rainbow trout and chinook salmon O. tshawytscha ; however, the avirulent North American strain of VHSV (Makah) replicated poorly or not at all.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health

Susceptibility of Arctic char to experimental challenge with Infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus (IHNV) and Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV)

Arctic char Salvelinus alpinus were exposed to the fish pathogens infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) and infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) to estimate susceptibility of the species to infection. Fish were immersion challenged at 46, 74, and 95 d posthatch for 5 h in viral concentration of 10 3 or 10 5 PFU(plaque-forming units)/mL and were monitored for 21 d postchallenge. Fish that died were assayed individually for virus-associated mortality, and survivors were assayed individually to estimate prevalence of virus carrier status. Arctic char succumbed to IHNV infection with population losses as high as 41%, and prevalence of IHNV carriers in surviving fish was 24% or less with virus titers in carrier fish ranging from 2.5 × 10 2 PFU/g to greater than 1.3 × 10 6 PFU/g. Infections with IPNV resulted in losses of 20% or less, and prevalence of IPNV carriers in surviving fish was as high as 82% with virus titers in carrier fish ranging from 2.5 × 10 2 PFU/g to greater than 5.0 × 10 6 PFU/g. Logistic regression models were developed for the mortality and infection data for each virus. For IHNV, the odds of dying or becoming infected were significantly greater for the fish from the 74-d age-group than for the fish from the 46-d or 95-d age-groups. Fish exposed to 10 5 PFU of IHNV/mL had significantly greater odds of dying or becoming infected than fish exposed to 10 3 PFU/mL. For IPNV, the odds of dying were significantly greater for the 74-d age-group compared with the other two age-groups. The 74-d fish were also significantly more likely to become infected than the 95-d-old fish. Fish exposed to 10 5 PFU of IPNV/mL had significantly greater odds of dying or becoming infected than fish exposed to 10 3 PFU of IPNV /mL.

Journal of Aquatic Animal Health

Bat guano virome: Predominance of dietary viruses from insects and plants plus novel mammalian viruses

Bats are hosts to a variety of viruses capable of zoonotic transmissions. Because of increased contact between bats, humans, and other animal species, the possibility exists for further cross-species transmissions and ensuing disease outbreaks. We describe here full and partial viral genomes identified using metagenomics in the guano of bats from California and Texas. A total of 34% and 58% of 390,000 sequence reads from bat guano in California and Texas, respectively, were related to eukaryotic viruses , and the largest proportion of those infect insects , reflecting the diet of these insectivorous bats, including members of the viral families Dicistroviridae, Iflaviridae, Tetraviridae, and Nodaviridae and the subfamily Densovirinae. The second largest proportion of virus -related sequences infects plants and fungi, likely reflecting the diet of ingested insects , including members of the viral families Luteoviridae, Secoviridae, Tymoviridae, and Partitiviridae and the genus Sobemovirus. Bat guano viruses related to those infecting mammals comprised the third largest group, including members of the viral families Parvoviridae, Circoviridae, Picornaviridae, Adenoviridae, Poxviridae, Astroviridae, and Coronaviridae. No close relative of known human viral pathogens was identified in these bat populations. Phylogenetic analysis was used to clarify the relationship to known viral taxa of novel sequences detected in bat guano samples, showing that some guano viral sequences fall outside existing taxonomic groups. This initial characterization of the bat guano virome , the first metagenomic analysis of viruses in wild mammals using second-generation sequencing, therefore showed the presence of previously unidentified viral species, genera, and possibly families. Viral metagenomics is a useful tool for genetically characterizing viruses present in animals with the known capability of direct or indirect viral zoonosis to humans.

Journal of Virology

Morphology of certain viruses of Salmonid Fishes. I. in vitro studies of some viruses causing Hematopoietic Necrosis

An electron microscope study was performed on three virus isolates that caused hematopoietic necrosis in salmonid fishes: infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN), Oregon Sockeye Disease (OSD), and Sacramento River Chinook Salmon Disease (SRCD). All three isolates were examined by negative staining of fathead minnow (FHM) monolayer tissue culture concentrates and IHN virus was also examined in thin sections of FHM cells. Viruslike particles were observed in infected tissues, but similar structures were not found in uninfected cultures. All three isolates were bullet-shaped, but oval and truncated forms were also observed. Mean measurements of particles from IHN-virus-infected tissue were 158 × 90 mμ. They consisted of an outer coat 15 mμ thick, a core 60 mμ in diameter, subunits about 5 mμ, and an axial pore about 20 mμ in diameter. These particles also were seen budding from the cytoplasmic membrane. Similar particles from SRCD were 159 × 90 mμ and isolates from OSD were 181 × 91 mμ. The three isolates were morphologically indistinguishable from one another and the greater length of OSD was considered insignificant. IHN, SRCD, and OSD viruses were tentatively placed in the rhabdovirus group, but serological studies are needed to determine if they are antigenically identical or should be included as separate members. Biochemical and physical characteristics of these viruses and a comparison with other salmonid viruses is also discussed.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada

Detection and genetic characterization of red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus and a novel genotype of nervous necrosis virus in black sea bass from the U.S. Atlantic coast

Nervous necrosis virus (NNV) causes a neurologic disease in a wide range of marine fish and poses serious disease risks to marine aquaculture worldwide. Little is known about the presence of NNV along the Atlantic coast of the United States, aside from the presence of barfin flounder nervous necrosis virus (BFNNV) in coldwater species in the northern part of this range. Herein we conducted surveillance for NNV from 2020 to 2022 in the mid-Atlantic region of the United States in black sea bass Centropristis striata , a serranid fish that is found throughout the eastern U.S. coast. Molecular detection methods have identified and characterized red-spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) sequences at low prevalence throughout the years. Further, in 2022, a higher prevalence of a novel NNV genotype, tentatively named black sea bass nervous necrosis virus (BSBNNV), was characterized for the first time. Though virus isolation was unsuccessful, this study was the first to genetically identify NNV in this region and in this species. These findings highlight the need for further research on NNV to understand epidemiology and virulence in the context of marine fisheries and an emerging marine aquaculture industry in the United States.

New Jersey

Salmonid viruses: Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus

Epizootics occurred among young trout in France, and the behavior and symptoms suggested infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) virus. Specimens preserved in glycerol were sent to the U.S.A. for virological examination. Virus was isolated from four of five lots, but neutralization with antiserum against ATCC VR299 strain IPN virus was incomplete. Electron microscopy, bioassay, histopathology, and serology were used to identify the viruses. The results showed the agents to be new strains of IPN virus with distinctive antigenicity and heretofore unknown lability at 4°C and marked vulnerability to a single freezing and thawing. A method of improving stability in storage was found. Electronmicrographs, tabular and graphic data are presented.

Archiv Fur Die Gesamte Virusforschung

Morphology of certain viruses of Salmonid fishes. II. In vivo studies of infectious Hematopoietic Necrosis Virus

Juvenile sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) were injected with the infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) virus, and tissue samples from the anterior kidney, spleen, liver, intestine, and pyloric caeca of moribund fish were prepared for electron microscopy. Bullet-shaped virus particles measuring 158 × 90 mμ were observed in the hematopoietic tissues of the anterior kidney and spleen. Virus particles were also observed in the outer connective tissues of the pancreas or pyloric caeca, or both. No virus was found in the intestine or liver. The healthy appearance of erythrocytes, reticular cells, and endothelial cells in necrotic areas of the spleen and anterior kidney, and the absence of lymphocytes in these areas, suggested that lymphocytes might be one source of the virus.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada

Pathophysiology of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus disease in rainbow trout (Salmo gairdneri): early changes in blood and aspects of the immune Response after Injection of IHN Virus

Juvenile rainbow trout ( Salmo gairdneri ) were injected with infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) virus and various hematological and blood chemical changes were monitored over 9 days. The packed cell volume, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, and plasma bicarbonate were significantly depressed by day 4. Plasma chloride, calcium, phosphorus, total protein, and blood cell types did not change during the 9 days. Furthermore, plasma LDH isozyme was significantly increased by the fourth day, and fish infected with infectious pancreatic necrosis virus, Vibrio anguillarum , Aeromonas salmonicida , and redmouth bacterium did not show specific LDH isozyme alterations. Acid-base alterations occurred at 10 C but not at 18 C. The acid-base imbalance and elevation of the LDH isozyme were consistently associated with the early development of the disease.The immune response after injection of IHN virus was determined and protection from disease was tested by passive immunization. Actively immunized fish developed IHN-neutralizing antibodies within 54 days after injection of virus, and the antibodies were protective when juvenile fish were passively immunized and experimentally challenged with IHN virus.

Journal of the Fisheries Research Board of Canada

Salmonid viruses: Double infection of RTG-2 cells with Egtved and infectious pancreatic necrosis viruses

Egtved and infectious pancreatic necrosis (IPN) viruses were applied at high multiplicity alone and in combination to RTG-2 cells in liquid medium. Procedures were used which selectively suppressed one or the other virus, and the yields were determined after 64 hours at 15°C. The viruses showed an increase of 280 to 450 times the immediate post-adsorption level. Plaques of IPN and Egtved viruses showed some differences which can be helpful in distinguishing between the two agents. Detailed methods and results are given.

Archiv Fur Die Gesamte Virusforschung

Differential virulence mechanisms of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) include host entry and virus replication kinetics

Host specificity is a phenomenon exhibited by all viruses. For the fish rhabdovirus infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), differential specificity of virus strains from the U and M genogroups has been established both in the field and in experimental challenges. In rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), M IHNV strains are consistently more prevalent and more virulent than U IHNV. The basis of the differential ability of these two IHNV genogroups to cause disease in rainbow trout was investigated in live infection challenges with representative U and M IHNV strains. When IHNV was delivered by intraperitoneal injection, the mortality caused by U IHNV increased, indicating that the low virulence of U IHNV is partly due to inefficiency in entering the trout host. Analyses of in vivo replication showed that U IHNV consistently had lower prevalence and lower viral load than M IHNV during the course of infection. In analyses of the host immune response, M IHNV-infected fish consistently had higher and longer expression of innate immune-related genes such as Mx-1. This suggests that the higher virulence of M IHNV is not due to suppression of the immune response in rainbow trout. Taken together, the results support a kinetics hypothesis wherein faster replication enables M IHNV to rapidly achieve a threshold level of virus necessary to override the strong host innate immune response. ?? 2009 SGM.

Journal of General Virology