Pacific oyster mortality syndrome: a marine herpesvirus active in Australia

Richard Whittington; Paul Hick; Olivia Evans; Ana Rubio; Navneet Dhand; Ika Paul-Pont

doi:10.1071/MA16043

RESEARCH ARTICLE

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Pacific oyster mortality syndrome: a marine herpesvirus active in Australia

Richard Whittington ^A ^D , Paul Hick ^A , Olivia Evans ^A , Ana Rubio ^A ^B , Navneet Dhand ^A and Ika Paul-Pont ^A ^C

+ Author Affiliations

- Author Affiliations

^A Faculty of Veterinary Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Camden, NSW 2570, Australia

^B Hornsby Shire Council, Hornsby, NSW 1630, Australia

^C CNRS, IUEM Technopôle Brest-Iroise, Rue Dumont d’Urville, 29280 Plouzané, France

^D Corresponding author. Tel: +61 2 9351 1619, Email: richard.whittington@sydney.edu.au

Microbiology Australia 37(3) 126-128 https://doi.org/10.1071/MA16043
Published: 10 August 2016

Abstract

Genotypes of Ostreid herpesvirus 1 (OsHV-1) known as microvariants cause the disease Pacific oyster mortality syndrome (POMS). Since its appearance in NSW in 2010, OsHV-1 microvariant has prevented the farming of Pacific oysters (Crassostrea gigas) in the affected estuaries near Sydney, following the initial massive outbreaks¹^,². The arrival of the disease in southeast Tasmania in January 2016 has put the entire $53M industry in Australia in jeopardy³. The virus is a member of the Family Malacoherpesviridae⁴, which includes several invertebrate herpesviruses. The OsHV-1 genome consists of 207 439 base pairs, with organisation similar to that of mammalian herpesviruses. However, OsHV-1 contains two invertible unique regions (U_L, 167.8 kbp; U_S, 3.4 kbp) each flanked by inverted repeats (TR_L/IR_L, 7.6 kbp; TR_S/IR_S, 9.8 kbp), with an additional unique sequence (X, 1.5 kbp) between IR_L and IR_S⁴_. Unlike many herpesviruses which are host specific, OsHV-1 strains have been transmitted between marine bivalve species⁵ and the virus is transmitted indirectly. The virus may have relatively prolonged survival in the environment, has extremely high infection and case fatality rates, and latency is unproven. Along with pilchard herpesvirus⁶^–⁸ and abalone ganglioneuritis virus⁹^,¹⁰, it is part of a dawning reality that marine herpesviruses are among the most virulent of pathogens. Finding solutions for industry requires more than laboratory-based research.

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