title: Characterization of a novel calicivirus causing systemic infection in atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.): proposal for a new genus of caliciviridae.
abstract: The Caliciviridae is a family of viruses infecting humans, a wide range of animals, birds and marine fish and mammals, resulting in a wide spectrum of diseases. We describe the identification and genetic characterization of a novel calicivirus replicating in Atlantic salmon. The virus has a high prevalence in farmed salmon and is found in fish suffering from several diseases and conditions and also in presumable healthy fish. A challenge and vaccination trial shows that the calicivirus replicates in Atlantic salmon and establishes a systemic infection, which can be reduced by vaccination with formalin-inactivated virus preparation. The virus, named Atlantic salmon calicivirus (ASCV), is found in two genetically distinct variants, a cell culture isolated and a variant sequenced directly from field material. The genomes are 7,4 kb and contain two open reading frames where typical conserved amino acid motifs and domains predict a gene order reminiscent of calicivirus genomes. Phylogenetic analysis performed on extracted capsid amino acid sequences segregated the two ASCV variants in a unique cluster sharing root with the branch of noroviruses infecting humans and the unassigned Tulane virus and St-Valérien like viruses, infecting rhesus monkey and pig, respectively, with relatively large distance to the marine calicivirus subgroup of vesiviruses. Based on the analyses presented, the ASCV is predicted to represent a new genus of Caliciviridae for which we propose the name Salovirus.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Dept. of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Aase B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Mikalsen
authors.affiliation: Pharmaq AS, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Pål
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nilsen
authors.affiliation: Pharmaq AS, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frøystad-Saugen
authors.affiliation: Pharmaq AS, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Karine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lindmo
authors.affiliation: Pharmaq AS, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Trygve M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Eliassen
authors.affiliation: Pharmaq AS, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Marit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rode
authors.affiliation: Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Biosciences, Dept. of Basic Sciences and Aquatic Medicine, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: Oystein
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Evensen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002139:Caliciviridae / Q000235:genetics*; D017250:Caliciviridae Infections / Q000821:virology*; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000821:virology; D016679:Genome, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D008253:Macaca mulatta / Q000821:virology; D010802:Phylogeny; D020317:Salmo salar / Q000821:virology*; D013552:Swine / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D036022:Capsid Proteins