Western Fisheries Research Center logo	The Molecular Epidemiology of Aquatic Pathogens - IHNV (MEAP-IHNV) Fish Virus Database is a collaborative project led by Dr. Gael Kurath and Eveline J. Emmenegger of the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) Western Fisheries Research Center in Seattle, Washington.
	Presentation of this database as a user defined query interface is a result of a collaboration between the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII), and the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering (NACSE), an internet technology research group at Oregon State University

Link: MEAP-IHNV Database

Viral infections are common causes of disease outbreaks and mortalities in both wild and captive fish populations. Due to the long history of virus outbreaks there is a substantial body of knowledge about viruses within the field of fish pathology. This project involves research and development studies which create, modify and apply modern biological technologies to increase our understanding of the basic biology, molecular biology, epidemiology, immunology, and host-pathogen interactions of viruses that cause significant disease in salmon and trout in the western U.S.

This website provides the ability to look at geographic distribution of genetic diversity in the IHN virus on maps. It also allows comparison by number of base pairs difference between isolates. Click here to launch the MEAP-IHNV database interface.

Salmon and trout fish species play a role in food supply, recreational sport fishing, and biodiversity in the Pacific Northwest. Hatchery fish populations have become increasingly vulnerable to disease outbreaks due to an intensive culture environment. In addition to the economic impacts of disease on commercial aquaculture and conservation hatchery operations, there is evidence that diseases can be transferred between cultured and wild fish.

The infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) can cause severe outbreaks among stocks of salmon and trout in the Western U.S. along the Pacific Coast of North America, from the Sacramento River in California to Kodiak Island in Alaska.

Numerous isolates of the virus have been obtained from wild, farmed, and hatchery fish during the last 40 years. Over 600 IHNV isolates from Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Alaska, and British Columbia have been genetically analyzed for this database. As a result of this genetic typing dramatically different patterns of diversity and evolution of IHNV have been observed.

For many years, the data and information were contained in an independently managed database and associated paper documents. Each record had to be entered centrally and managers in the field had to submit requests for data from the repository. This added considerable time to accessing the data, as well as demanding time from the researchers managing the data.

To facilitate the cataloging of the data available on these isolates, the Molecular Epidemiology of Aquatic Pathogens - IHNV Fish Virus Database interface was developed in collaboration with the USGS Western Fisheries Research Center, the Northwest Alliance for Computational Science and Engineering at Oregon State University, and the NBII's Pacific Northwest Information Node. The interface is database-driven, using PostgreSQL and PostGIS on the backend. Maps are generated dynamically from user input using MapServer and PHP, and many of the base layers are rendered from TIGER/Line GIS data. The tool can be accessed at http://gis.nacse.org/ihnv/.

The new interface allows fish health managers and researchers can dynamically access information about strains of IHNV within various watersheds and fish culture facilities and have a means to rapidly compare emerging strains of IHNV..

Some features of the database include:

• Users can query specific virus-related disease data from each of the virus isolates and compare the associated biological, genetic, and spatial components.
• Results are displayed in tabular form and on an interactive map, both of which are highly customizable.
• A special feature allows users to compare viral genetic sequences from samples collected in disparate locations or at different times.

The technology for this database has also been adapted to catalog another rhabdovirus, the viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV). This virus has been affecting many fish species in the Great Lakes region.

What is IHNV?

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis is caused by infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV), a member of the Rhabdoviridae. Infected fish either succumb and die of disease, recover and clear the virus, or become asymptomatic carriers can transmit IHNV. Particularly large amounts of virus are shed by juvenile fish and spawning adults. Transmission is mainly from fish to fish as waterborne virus, but also via contaminated food or spawning fluids. The site of virus infection is thought to be through the skin at the base of the fins, or through gills or digestive tract. Infected fish may exhibit various signs such as abdominal distension, exophthalmia (bulging eyes), darkening of the skin, and anemia, but most often the first indication of disease is a rapid increase in mortality without visible signs of disease. Epidemics of IHN occur in fish culture facilities every year and cause mortality levels of 20-90%.

Citation: Bootland, L. M., and Leong, J.C. 1999. Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus. Pages 57-121 in P.T.K.Woo and D. W. Bruno, editors. Fish diseases and disorders, volume 3. CAB International, New York.