title: Viral nervous necrosis virus persistently replicates in the central nervous system of asymptomatic gilthead seabream and promotes a transient inflammatory response followed by the infiltration of IgM+ B lymphocytes.
abstract: The viral nervous necrosis virus (VNNV) is the causal agent of viral encephalopathy and retinopathy (VER), a worldwide fish disease that is responsible for high mortality in both marine and freshwater species. Infected fish suffer from encephalitis, which leads to abnormal swimming behavior and extensive cellular vacuolation and neuronal degeneration in the central nervous system (CNS) and retina. The marine fish gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata) does not develop VER but it is an asymptomatic carrier of VNNV. In this study, we report that VNNV was able to replicate and persist for up to 3 months in the CNS of the gilthead seabream without causing any neural damage. In addition, we found an early inflammatory response in the CNS that was characterized by the induction of genes encoding pro-inflammatory cytokines, a delayed but persistent induction of anti-inflammatory cytokines, and the infiltration of IgM(+) B lymphocytes, suggesting that local adaptive immunity played a major role in the control of VNNV in the CNS of this species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology and Histology, Faculty of Biology, University of Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
authors.forename: Azucena
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: López-Muñoz
authors.forename: María P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Sepulcre
authors.forename: Diana
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: García-Moreno
authors.forename: Inmaculada
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fuentes
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Béjar
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Manchado
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Álvarez
authors.forename: José
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Meseguer
authors.forename: Victoriano
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mulero
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology; D001921:Brain / Q000276:immunology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D002353:Carrier State / Q000662:veterinary*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000276:immunology; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000276:immunology* / Q000821:virology; D060226:Head Kidney / Q000276:immunology; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D012327:RNA Virus Infections / Q000276:immunology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D021541:Sea Bream
chemical_list: D016207:Cytokines; D007075:Immunoglobulin M