Epidemiology and Molecular characterization of iridovirids detected in Tanzania
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1
Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Norway
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2
Sokoine University of Agriculture, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Tanzania
Iridovirids are among the virus species causing severe disease outbreaks in the fish industry in many parts of the world. They infect a wide range of vertebrate (fish, amphibians and reptiles) and invertebrate (molluscs, crustaceans and insects) hosts causing economic and environmental problems. Iridovirids belong to the family Iridoviridae which have five genera: Ranavirus, Lymphocystivirus, and Megalocytivirus (infecting vertebrates), Iridovirus and Chloriridovirus (infecting invertebrates). There are no studies of iridovirids in wild and culture fish from fresh- and marine water in Tanzania. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating the epidemiology and characterization of iridovirids infecting Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in selected natural water bodies and fish farms in Tanzania.
108 Nile tilapia were sampled from Lake Victoria and 85 fish from 8 fish farms in Morogoro. At lake Victoria, the fish were bought from fishermen live while in Morogoro, the owners caught the fish from the ponds by netting. Fish farms included in this study were selected purposively based on activity.
Samples collected included head kidneys, livers, gills and skin preserved in RNALater and in transport media for virus re-isolation. The samples were first screened by PCR using degenerate primers targeting the viral DNA polymerase. The PCR products were then sequences and this formed the basis for designing virus specific primers for Real Time PCR. Real Time PCR was then used to screen all the remaining samples.
Our findings show that wild Nile tilapia in Tanzania contain Iridovirids. Phylogenetic analysis of the sequences suggests that the isolates in these fish are closer to those of Frog Irodovirids. The implications of these findings relative to the fish farming industry in Tanzania and also the potential for host-jumping of these viruses will be discussed.
Acknowledgements
This work was funded by NORAD through the Project on "Capacity building for
training and research in aquatic and environmental health in
Eastern and Southern Africa" (TAN-13/0027).
Keywords:
Iridovirids,
Nile tilapia,
Tanzania,
Oreochromis niloticus,
Host-jumping
Conference:
AquaEpi I - 2016, Oslo, Norway, 20 Sep - 22 Sep, 2016.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Aquatic Animal Epidemiology
Citation:
Chengula
A,
Kasanga
C,
Mutoloki
S,
Mdegela
R and
Evensen
Ø
(2016). Epidemiology and Molecular characterization of iridovirids detected in Tanzania.
Front. Vet. Sci.
Conference Abstract:
AquaEpi I - 2016.
doi: 10.3389/conf.FVETS.2016.02.00008
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Received:
17 Aug 2016;
Published Online:
14 Sep 2016.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Augustino Alfred Chengula, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Oslo, 0033, Norway, achengula@sua.ac.tz