Abstract
Mass mortalities in Egyptian hatchery-reared Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) fries have negatively impacted the livelihood of fish farmers for the past 3 years due to fish loss (up to 70%), feed waste, and loss of job opportunities. An investigation into possible viral causes of massive die-offs in tilapia during 2018–2019 identified nervous necrosis virus (NNV) strains phylogenetically related to red-spotted grouper NNV. Clinical signs and gross pathology of naturally infected fish were consistent with classical NNV infections. Electron micrographs revealed virions in the retina and brain. NNV RNA was also detected in the brood stocks’ brains and ovaries. Experimental infection of NNV-free fries resulted in 100% morbidity and mortality. Since this is the first report of VNN-outbreaks in African tilapia, different aspects of viral epidemiology and possible ways to break the epidemic wave and prevent future interspecies transmission events are discussed.
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This research has been partially funded by the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Cairo University’s Graduate Research Support Fund.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection, and analysis were performed by Engy Taha, Mohamed Shawky, Basem Ahmed, Mohamed Moustafa, Ausama Yousif, and Mohamed Abdelaziz. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Engy Taha and Ausama Yousif and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Taha, E., Shawky, M., Ahmed, B. et al. Emergence of viral nervous necrosis is associated with mass mortality in hatchery-reared tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in Egypt. Aquacult Int 28, 1811–1823 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-020-00559-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10499-020-00559-4