Detection of marine birnavirus genome in zooplankton collected from the Uwa Sea, Japan.
Marine birnaviruses (MABVs) infect a wide range of fish and shellfish, yet their mode of transmission is still unclear. To determine whether marine plankton serve as a vector for MABVs, we examined plankton collected from the Uwa Sea, Japan. The phytoplankton and zooplankton were collected monthly, at depths of 0 and 40 m, from May to November 2001. Detection of the MABV genome was carried out using 2-step PCR and virus isolation. Viral genome was detected in zooplankton collected at 0 m depth in September and at 40 m depth in November. The virus could not be isolated in the PCR-positive samples. These results suggest that zooplankton may act as a vector of MABVs, although the infective and/or accumulated virus titer in zooplankton was low.
Kitamura
Shin-Ichi
S
Center for Marine Environmental Studies, Ehime University, Matsuyama 790-9577, Japan.
Kamata
Shin-Ichiro
S
Nakano
Shin-Ichi
S
Suzuki
Satoru
S
D000818:Animals; D019201:Aquabirnavirus / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004197:Disease Reservoirs / Q000662:veterinary; D004199:Disease Vectors; D016679:Genome, Viral; D007564:Japan; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010839:Phytoplankton / Q000821:virology; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary; D015048:Zooplankton / Q000821:virology*