title: The epidemiology of pancreas disease in salmonid aquaculture: a summary of the current state of knowledge.
abstract: Pancreas disease (PD) is a viral disease caused by Salmonid alphavirus (SAV) that affects farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) and rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum)) in the seawater phase. Since its first description in Scotland in 1976, a large number of studies have been conducted relating to the disease itself and to factors contributing to agent spread and disease occurrence. This paper summarizes the currently available, scientific information on the epidemiology of PD and its associated mitigation and control measures. Available literature shows infected farmed salmonids to be the main reservoir of SAV. Transmission between seawater sites occurs mainly passively by water currents or actively through human activity coupled with inadequate biosecurity measures. All available information suggests that the current fallowing procedures are adequate to prevent agent survival within the environment through the fallowing period and thus that a repeated disease outbreak at the same site is due to a new agent introduction. There has been no scientific evaluation of currently used on-site biosecurity measures, and there is limited information on the impact of available mitigation measures and control strategies.
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: M D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Jansen
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bang Jensen
authors.affiliation: Fish Vet Group, Inverness, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: M F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: McLoughlin
authors.affiliation: Vet-Aqua International, Oranmore, Ireland.
authors.forename: H D
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Rodger
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taksdal
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sindre
authors.affiliation: Animal Health Ireland, Carrick on Shannon, Ireland.
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Graham
authors.affiliation: Norwegian Veterinary Institute, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lillehaug
mesh_terms: D000524:Alphavirus / Q000502:physiology*; D018354:Alphavirus Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D017756:Aquaculture; D005060:Europe / Q000453:epidemiology; D005393:Fish Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D017686:Oncorhynchus mykiss; D010182:Pancreatic Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D015995:Prevalence; D020317:Salmo salar
keywords: 
  Salmonid alphavirus
  ; Atlantic salmon; epidemiology; pancreas disease; rainbow trout; review