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Case Reports
. 2024 May;36(3):389-392.
doi: 10.1177/10406387231218223. Epub 2024 Feb 8.

Betanodavirus meningoencephalitis in an Atlantic blue marlin

Kirstin A Cook  1   2 , John P Hawke  3 , David B Groman  4 , Tobia Pretto  5 , Anna Toffan  5 , Larry A Hanson  6 , D Nguyen  7 , Lorelei Ford  6 , Wes A Baumgartner  1
Affiliations
Case Reports

Betanodavirus meningoencephalitis in an Atlantic blue marlin

Kirstin A Cook et al. J Vet Diagn Invest. 2024 May.

Abstract

Viral nervous necrosis (viral encephalopathy and retinopathy) is caused by piscine nodavirus (Nodaviridae, Betanodavirus). Since 1986, this highly infectious virus has caused mass mortalities of up to 100% in farmed saltwater and freshwater fish around the world (with the exception of South America and Antarctica), affecting >60 species across 10 orders. The Atlantic blue marlin (Makaira nigricans Lacépède, 1802) is a top-level predator found throughout the tropical waters of the Atlantic and Indo-Pacific oceans. Despite their popularity as a sportfish, relatively little is known about the Atlantic blue marlin and other billfish. We describe here chronic betanodavirus infection in a juvenile Atlantic blue marlin, which is, to our knowledge, the first report of disease in M. nigricans.

Keywords: Makaira; betanodavirus; billfish; marlin; viral encephalopathy and retinopathy; viral nervous necrosis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Betanodavirus meningoencephalitis in an Atlantic blue marlin. A. The neuropil is infiltrated by large numbers of macrophages (arrows); blood vessels are moderately congested (arrowheads). H&E. B. A granuloma (arrow) composed of concentric layers of epithelioid macrophages. H&E. C. The cytoplasm of several macrophages in and around a granuloma has red (positive) signal for viral antigen. Betanodavirus immunohistochemistry.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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