Abstract

Susceptibilities of six species of marine fish to a flounder isolate KRRV-9601 (a European genotype) of VHSV were examined by intraperitoneal injection. Mortalities were induced in Japanese flounder Paralichthys olivaceus (100%), black sea bream Acanthopagrus schlegeli (90%), red spotted grouper Epinephelus akaara (70%) and rockfish Sebastes schlegeli (10%), but not in marbled sole Pleuronectes yokohamae and red sea bream Pagrus major. VHSV was recovered from dead and moribund fish and the surviving red spotted grouper at 60th day after the virus injection. The neutralizing antibody against VHSV was detected in the sera of surviving rockfish, but not in other surviving fishes. Histopathological features in the affected fish for each species were generally similar to each other, although the severity of hemorrhage varied among fish species.