First detection of Infectious Spleen and kidney Necrosis Virus (ISKNV) associated with massive mortalities in farmed tilapia in Africa

In late 2018, unusual patterns of very high mortality (>50% production) were reported in intensive tilapia cage culture systems across Lake Volta. Affected fish showed darkening, erratic swimming and abdominal distension with associated ascites. Histopathological observations of tissues taken from moribund fish at different farms revealed the presence of lesions indicative of viral infection. These included haematopoietic cell nuclear and cytoplasmic pleomorphism with marginalisation of chromatin and fine granulation. Transmission electron microscopy showed cells contained conspicuous virions with typical Iridovirus morphology i.e. enveloped, with icosahedral and or polyhedral geometries and with a diameter c160 nm. PCR confirmation and sequencing identified the likely cause of the disease as Infectious Spleen and Kidney Necrosis Virus (ISKNV). Samples of fry and older animals were all strongly positive for the presence of the virus by qPCR. All samples tested negative for TiLV and Nodavirus by qPCR. All samples collected from farms in the year prior to the mortality event were negative for ISKNV. The results suggest that ISKNV was the cause of disease on the investigated farms and likely had a primary role in the mortality events. A common observation of coinfections with Streptococcus agalactiae and other bacterial pathogens of tilapia further suggests that these may interact to cause severe pathology, particularly in larger fish. The present results demonstrate that there are a range of potential threats to the sustainability of tilapia aquaculture that need to be guarded against.