Redspotted Grouper Nervous Necrosis Virus and the Reassortant RGNNV/SJNNV In Vitro Susceptibility against a Commercial Peroxy-Acid Biocide under Different Conditions of Use

Abstract

Aquaculture is a constantly growing sector. The intensification of fish production and the movement of aquatic animals could cause the spread of infectious diseases. Remarkably, the diffusion of viral agents represents the major bottleneck for finfish production, and viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER) is considered the most impacting disease for Mediterranean aquaculture. No effective therapies are available to contrast VER, and vaccination can be applied only in grow-out facilities. Hence, programs to minimize the sanitary risks in farms are paramount to implementing hygienic standards and biosecurity. This study aimed to evaluate the in vitro virucidal activity of a peroxy-acid disinfectant (Virkon® S, DuPont, Sudbury, UK) towards the two NNV strains most widespread in the Mediterranean Sea. Remarkably, two protocols were applied to assess the virucidal activity under different conditions of use: the suspension test and the net test. The latter has been applied to evaluate the efficacy of the biocide on instruments, simulating the in-field application. The obtained results demonstrated the suitability of the tested biocide for NNV inactivation, being effective under some of the tested conditions. However, the presence of organic matter, the concentration of the product, and the application conditions can significantly affect the result of the disinfection procedure.

Genetic and morphological characterization of a new genotype of nervous necrosis virus circulating among Nile tilapia in the south of Egypt

“…The NNV genome consists of two segments of positive single-stranded RNA. The large segment RNA1 (3.1 kb) encodes the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp), and the small segment RNA2 (1.4 kb) encodes the coat protein (CP) (Doan et al 2017 ; Volpe et al 2023 ). In addition, a sub-genomic RNA, RNA3, is transcribed from RNA1 3′ end (Iwamoto et al 2005 ; Sommerset et al 2005 ).…”