Lymphocystis an emerging fish disease in endemic Aotearoa New Zealand common bully, Gobiomorphus cotidianus
The status of lymphocystis disease in Aotearoa New Zealand is largely unknown. Here, we detected lymphocystis disease virus LCDV for the first time in freshwater and estuarine environments in wild common bully toitoi, Gobiomorphus cotidianus, an endemic, amphidromous fish. Genomic DNA tested positive for lymphocystis disease virus using primers targeting the major capsid protein MCP gene. However, it tested negative for LCDV genotypes 1 to 3, suggesting the involvement of a novel strain, which was further supported by phylogenetic analyses. This study provides the first LCDV gene sequence from New Zealand, which contributes to the global database of LCDV genomic information and provides a foundation for understanding how lymphocystis disease virus may be distributed in New Zealand.