Viral hemorrhagic septicemia

The viral haemorrhagic septicemia ( VHS) is a bleeding in the organs (haemorrhage ) associated viral disease that mainly affects trout fish ( salmonids ), but other species of fish. It belongs to the party required to animal diseases. The pathogen is a rhabdovirus.

Epizootiology

The disease occurs acutely, especially in rainbow trout and pike, trout other fish are usually only infected asymptomatic. Important for the fight is the fact that fish survive the disease and asymptomatic infected fish remain lifelong carriers of the virus and thus constitute a reservoir of pathogens. Transmission occurs via contaminated water, infected fish and waterfowl, as well as equipment and personnel from fish farms.

Symptoms

The VHS can occur in various diseases.

The acute form is characterized by sudden onset of mass extinction. The fish are apathetic, stain dark, have pale gills and protruding eyeballs ( proptosis ). Pathologically, there are occasional bleeding in muscles, skin, eyes and internal organs as well as enteritis, recognizable by a filling of the intestine with yellow mucus.

The chronic form is adjacent to the acute form. However, the symptoms are similar, the number of deaths low.

In the nervous form hardly occur deaths and also lack the classic symptoms. Instead, the fish show signs of a disorder of the central nervous system such as incoordination, and abnormal swimming movements.

Legal foundations

In Germany, the measures to combat VHS are regulated by:

  • Animal Diseases Act ( TierSG )
  • Regulation on notifiable animal diseases. Amended on 3 November 2004 ( Federal Law Gazette I p 2764 )
  • Regulation to protect against freshwater fish diseases, Muschelkrankeiten and the creation of disease-free fish farms and areas ( fish diseases Regulation) in the version published on 3 November 2004 ( Federal Law Gazette I p 2754 )

Proof

For the definitive detection of the disease a virological diagnosis is required by law in a suspected case. It is carried out by cultivation of the virus in cell culture and detection by VHS antibodies. A detection of the viral RNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is possible.

  • Viral infectious disease in fish
  • Notifiable animal disease
Fish farming
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