EarthWord: Infectious Haematopoietic Necrosis (IHN)

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Sources/Usage: Public Domain. View Media Details

Definition:

• Infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) is an infectious viral disease of salmon and trout.

Use/Significance in the Earth Science Community:

• IHN was first recognized in the 1950s in sockeye and Chinook salmon. The disease has the most economic significance for freshwater farms, however Pacific and Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) in both fresh and seawater have been severely affected.
• Researchers at the WFRC are creating a set of molecular tools by cloning each of the viral genes and sequencing the entire genome. This information is stored in an IHN database. When an IHN virus epidemic occurs, our researchers use molecular genetic methods to characterize the specific virus type, and compare it with other known IHNV types in our database. Similar methods are used for other fish viruses and for epidemics of flu, SARS, and anthrax.

USGS Use:

• WFRC Fish Disease Research Page  
• IHNV Fish Virus Database  
• USGS Factsheet  
• Emerging Virus Threat to Fish in Western Washington

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