Genetic and Pathogenic Characterization of a New <i>Iridovirus</i> Isolated from Cage-Cultured Large Yellow Croaker (<i>Larimichthys crocea</i>) in China
Gengshen Wang,
Yingjia Luan,
Jinping Wei,
Yunfeng Li,
Hui Shi,
Haoxue Cheng,
Aixu Bai,
Jianjun Xie,
Wenjun Xu,
Pan Qin
Affiliations
Gengshen Wang
Key Laboratory of Mariculture and Enhancement of Zhejiang Province, Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Zhejiang, Zhoushan 316100, China
Yingjia Luan
Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Jinping Wei
Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Yunfeng Li
Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Hui Shi
Key Laboratory of Mariculture and Enhancement of Zhejiang Province, Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Zhejiang, Zhoushan 316100, China
Haoxue Cheng
Key Laboratory of Mariculture and Enhancement of Zhejiang Province, Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Zhejiang, Zhoushan 316100, China
Aixu Bai
Huaian Customs District, Huaian 223001, China
Jianjun Xie
Key Laboratory of Mariculture and Enhancement of Zhejiang Province, Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Zhejiang, Zhoushan 316100, China
Wenjun Xu
Key Laboratory of Mariculture and Enhancement of Zhejiang Province, Marine Fisheries Research Institute of Zhejiang, Zhoushan 316100, China
Pan Qin
Key Laboratory of Marine Biotechnology of Fujian Province, College of Marine Sciences, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Iridoviruses are an important pathogen of ectothermic vertebrates and are considered a significant threat to aquacultural fish production. Recently, one of the most economically important marine species in China, the large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea), has been increasingly reported to be the victim of iridovirus disease. In this study, we isolated and identified a novel iridovirus, LYCIV-ZS-2020, from cage-cultured large yellow croaker farms in Zhoushan island, China. Genome sequencing and subsequent phylogenetic analyses showed that LYCIV-ZS-2020 belongs to the genus Megalocytivirus and is closely related to the Pompano iridoviruses isolated in the Dominican Republic. LYCIV-ZS-2020 enriched from selected tissues of naturally infected large yellow croaker was used in an artificial infection trial and the results proved its pathogenicity in large yellow croaker. This is the first systematic research on the genetic and pathogenic characterization of iridovirus in large yellow croakers, which expanded our knowledge of the iridovirus.
