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Fish & Wildlife Disease: Wild Fish Diseases

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By Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program September 29, 2022

USGS fish disease research is focused on developing advanced tools for rapid disease detection and control. USGS scientists are improving our understanding of the factors controlling the epidemiology of aquatic animal diseases and the impact of disease on wild fish populations. Our scientists are also investigating the effects of warming waters, drought, and invasive species on fish disease dynamics.

Wild Fish Disease Research

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Species Studied - Chinook Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center
Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Species Studied - Chinook Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Learn More
Blueline Snapper

Fish Health

Fish are an important component of marine ecosystems, but relatively little is known of their health, in part because sick and dying fish are difficult to detect.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center
Fish Health

Fish Health

Fish are an important component of marine ecosystems, but relatively little is known of their health, in part because sick and dying fish are difficult to detect.
Learn More

Explore our science using the data below.

Survival and viral load of chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, and steelhead trout exposed to 4 genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) Survival and viral load of chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, and steelhead trout exposed to 4 genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV)

Theory of the evolution of pathogen specialization suggests that a specialist pathogen gains high fitness in one host, but this comes with fitness loss in other hosts. By contrast, a generalist pathogen does not achieve high fitness in any host, but gains ecological fitness by exploiting different hosts, and has higher fitness than specialists in non-specialized hosts. As a result...
By
Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Analytical and diagnostic validation of a molecular test to detect and discriminate IHNV genogroups U and M Analytical and diagnostic validation of a molecular test to detect and discriminate IHNV genogroups U and M

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is an acute pathogen of salmonids in North America, Europe and Asia that is phylogenetically classified into five major virus genogroups (U, M, L, E and J). The geographic range of the U and M genogroup isolates overlap in the North American Columbia River Basin and Washington Coast region, where these genogroups pose different risks...
By
Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Spatial and temporal survey of waterborne myxozoan parasites in the Lake Sammamish watershed, Washington, from 2019 - 2021 Spatial and temporal survey of waterborne myxozoan parasites in the Lake Sammamish watershed, Washington, from 2019 - 2021

There is a fundamental knowledge gap on the distribution, prevalence, intensity, and ecology of salmonid myxozoan parasites in the Lake Sammamish watershed, Washington. To address this knowledge gap, we tested water samples for Ceratonova shasta, Parvicapsula minibicornis and Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae DNA from 84 sites distributed throughout the Lake Sammamish watershed in fall 2019...
By
Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Comparative Virulence of Spring Viremia of Carp Virus (SVCV) Genotypes in Two Koi Varieties Comparative Virulence of Spring Viremia of Carp Virus (SVCV) Genotypes in Two Koi Varieties

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV, species Carp sprivivirus), is considered one of the most lethal freshwater pathogens of cyprinid fish. Common carp Cyprinus carpio L. and koi C. carpio koi are the most susceptible host fish species. The virus was formally described in the 1960's after outbreaks occurred in carp species on the European continent, but there has been a global expansion...
By
Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Survival, viral load and neutralizing antibodies in steelhead trout and cell cultures exposed to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) at 3 temperatures Survival, viral load and neutralizing antibodies in steelhead trout and cell cultures exposed to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) at 3 temperatures

Environmental variation has important effects on host-pathogen interactions, affecting large-scale ecological processes such as the severity and frequency of epidemics. However, less is known about how the environment modulates viral fitness traits and within host infection processes. Viral genetic variation, fish host immune response and environmental parameters such as temperature have...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Data from 2018 Experiment on Effects of Temperature on Survival and Growth of Juvenile Lost River Suckers (Deltistes luxatus) naturally exposed to Ichthyobodo spp Data from 2018 Experiment on Effects of Temperature on Survival and Growth of Juvenile Lost River Suckers (Deltistes luxatus) naturally exposed to Ichthyobodo spp

Data included in this data set are for an experiment conducted in 2018. Data were collected on survival, growth, food consumption, and Ichthyobodo copy numbers of Lost River suckers exposed to five different temperature groups. There are five levels of data. Temperature data contains 1,178 records and the data file is 35 KB, survival data contains 150 records and the data file is 3 KB...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP), Klamath Falls Field Station (KFFS)

Recent publications related to USGS fish disease research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS fish disease publications is available from the button below.

Complete List of Publications
Filter Total Items: 48

Temporal analysis of water chemistry and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) health at two sites with divergent land use in the Susquehanna River watershed, Pennsylvania, USA Temporal analysis of water chemistry and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) health at two sites with divergent land use in the Susquehanna River watershed, Pennsylvania, USA

Monitoring wild fish health and exposure effects in impacted rivers and streams with differing land use has become a valuable research tool. Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) are a sensitive, indicator species that exhibit signs of immunosuppression and endocrine disruption in response to water quality changes and contaminant exposure. To determine the impact of agriculture and...
Authors
Heather L. Walsh, Geoffrey Smith, Megan Schall, Stephanie E. Gordon, Vicki S. Blazer
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Host jump of an exotic fish rhabdovirus into a new class of animals poses a disease threat to amphibians Host jump of an exotic fish rhabdovirus into a new class of animals poses a disease threat to amphibians

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) is a rhabdovirus that primarily infects cyprinid finfishes and causes a disease notifiable to the World Organization for Animal Health. Amphibians, which are sympatric with cyprinids in freshwater ecosystems, are considered non-permissive hosts of rhabdoviruses. The potential host range expansion of SVCV in an atypical host species was evaluated by...
Authors
Eveline J. Emmenegger, Emma K. Bueren, Carla M. Conway, George E. Sanders, A. Noble Hendrix, Tamara Schroeder, Emiliano Di Cicco, Phuc H. Pham, Lumsden John S., Sharon C. Clouthier
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center

Paramyxoviruses of fish Paramyxoviruses of fish

The first fish paramyxovirus was isolated from normal adult Chinook salmon returning to a coastal hatchery in Oregon in the fall of 1982. Subsequently, the virus was isolated from other stocks of adult Chinook salmon and one stock of adult coho salmon in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, leading to its designation as the Pacific salmon paramyxovirus (PsaPV). The slow-growing...
Authors
Ted R. Meyers, William N. Batts
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center

Effects of elevated pCO2 on bioenergetics and disease susceptibility in Pacific herring Clupea pallasii Effects of elevated pCO2 on bioenergetics and disease susceptibility in Pacific herring Clupea pallasii

Ocean acidification can affect the immune responses of fish, but effects on pathogen susceptibility remain uncertain. Pacific herring Clupea pallasii were reared from hatch under 3 CO2 partial pressure ( pCO2) treatments (ambient, ∼650 µatm; intermediate, ∼1500 µatm; high, ∼3000 µatm) through metamorphosis (98 d) to evaluate the effects of ocean acidification on bioenergetics and...
Authors
Christopher Murray, Jacob L. Gregg, Ashley MacKenzie, Hiruni Jayasekara, Sophie Hall, Terrie Klinger, Paul Hershberger
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center

Genome-wide association analysis of the resistance to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in two rainbow trout aquaculture lines confirms oligogenic architecture with several moderate effect quantitative trait loci Genome-wide association analysis of the resistance to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in two rainbow trout aquaculture lines confirms oligogenic architecture with several moderate effect quantitative trait loci

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) is a disease of salmonid fish that is caused by the IHN virus (IHNV), which can cause substantial mortality and economic losses in rainbow trout aquaculture and fisheries enhancement hatchery programs. In a previous study on a commercial rainbow trout breeding line that has undergone selection, we found that genetic resistance to IHNV is controlled...
Authors
Yniv Palti, Roger L. Vallejo, Maureen K. Purcell, Guangtu Gao, Kristy L. Shewbridge, Roseanna L. Long, Christopher Setzke, Breno O. Fragomeni, Hao Cheng, Kyle E. Martin, Kerrry A. Naish
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Discovery and genomic characterization of a novel hepadnavirus from asymptomatic anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) Discovery and genomic characterization of a novel hepadnavirus from asymptomatic anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is an anadromous herring that inhabits waters of northeastern North America. This prey species is a critical forage for piscivorous birds, mammals, and fishes in estuarine and oceanic ecosystems. During a discovery project tailored to identify potentially emerging pathogens of this species, we obtained the full genome of a novel hepadnavirus (ApHBV)...
Authors
Clayton D. Raines, Jan Lovy, Nicolas B.D. Phelps, Sunil Mor, Terry Ng, Luke R. Iwanowicz
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center

USGS fish disease research is focused on developing advanced tools for rapid disease detection and control. USGS scientists are improving our understanding of the factors controlling the epidemiology of aquatic animal diseases and the impact of disease on wild fish populations. Our scientists are also investigating the effects of warming waters, drought, and invasive species on fish disease dynamics.

Wild Fish Disease Research

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Species Studied - Chinook Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center
Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Species Studied - Chinook Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)
Learn More
Blueline Snapper

Fish Health

Fish are an important component of marine ecosystems, but relatively little is known of their health, in part because sick and dying fish are difficult to detect.
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, National Wildlife Health Center
Fish Health

Fish Health

Fish are an important component of marine ecosystems, but relatively little is known of their health, in part because sick and dying fish are difficult to detect.
Learn More

Explore our science using the data below.

Survival and viral load of chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, and steelhead trout exposed to 4 genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) Survival and viral load of chinook salmon, sockeye salmon, and steelhead trout exposed to 4 genogroups of infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV)

Theory of the evolution of pathogen specialization suggests that a specialist pathogen gains high fitness in one host, but this comes with fitness loss in other hosts. By contrast, a generalist pathogen does not achieve high fitness in any host, but gains ecological fitness by exploiting different hosts, and has higher fitness than specialists in non-specialized hosts. As a result...
By
Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Analytical and diagnostic validation of a molecular test to detect and discriminate IHNV genogroups U and M Analytical and diagnostic validation of a molecular test to detect and discriminate IHNV genogroups U and M

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) is an acute pathogen of salmonids in North America, Europe and Asia that is phylogenetically classified into five major virus genogroups (U, M, L, E and J). The geographic range of the U and M genogroup isolates overlap in the North American Columbia River Basin and Washington Coast region, where these genogroups pose different risks...
By
Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Spatial and temporal survey of waterborne myxozoan parasites in the Lake Sammamish watershed, Washington, from 2019 - 2021 Spatial and temporal survey of waterborne myxozoan parasites in the Lake Sammamish watershed, Washington, from 2019 - 2021

There is a fundamental knowledge gap on the distribution, prevalence, intensity, and ecology of salmonid myxozoan parasites in the Lake Sammamish watershed, Washington. To address this knowledge gap, we tested water samples for Ceratonova shasta, Parvicapsula minibicornis and Tetracapsuloides bryosalmonae DNA from 84 sites distributed throughout the Lake Sammamish watershed in fall 2019...
By
Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Comparative Virulence of Spring Viremia of Carp Virus (SVCV) Genotypes in Two Koi Varieties Comparative Virulence of Spring Viremia of Carp Virus (SVCV) Genotypes in Two Koi Varieties

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV, species Carp sprivivirus), is considered one of the most lethal freshwater pathogens of cyprinid fish. Common carp Cyprinus carpio L. and koi C. carpio koi are the most susceptible host fish species. The virus was formally described in the 1960's after outbreaks occurred in carp species on the European continent, but there has been a global expansion...
By
Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Survival, viral load and neutralizing antibodies in steelhead trout and cell cultures exposed to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) at 3 temperatures Survival, viral load and neutralizing antibodies in steelhead trout and cell cultures exposed to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus (IHNV) at 3 temperatures

Environmental variation has important effects on host-pathogen interactions, affecting large-scale ecological processes such as the severity and frequency of epidemics. However, less is known about how the environment modulates viral fitness traits and within host infection processes. Viral genetic variation, fish host immune response and environmental parameters such as temperature have...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP)

Data from 2018 Experiment on Effects of Temperature on Survival and Growth of Juvenile Lost River Suckers (Deltistes luxatus) naturally exposed to Ichthyobodo spp Data from 2018 Experiment on Effects of Temperature on Survival and Growth of Juvenile Lost River Suckers (Deltistes luxatus) naturally exposed to Ichthyobodo spp

Data included in this data set are for an experiment conducted in 2018. Data were collected on survival, growth, food consumption, and Ichthyobodo copy numbers of Lost River suckers exposed to five different temperature groups. There are five levels of data. Temperature data contains 1,178 records and the data file is 35 KB, survival data contains 150 records and the data file is 3 KB...
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Biological Threats and Invasive Species Research Program, Species Management Research Program, Western Fisheries Research Center, Fish Health Program (FHP), Klamath Falls Field Station (KFFS)

Recent publications related to USGS fish disease research are listed below. A complete listing of USGS fish disease publications is available from the button below.

Complete List of Publications
Filter Total Items: 48

Temporal analysis of water chemistry and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) health at two sites with divergent land use in the Susquehanna River watershed, Pennsylvania, USA Temporal analysis of water chemistry and smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) health at two sites with divergent land use in the Susquehanna River watershed, Pennsylvania, USA

Monitoring wild fish health and exposure effects in impacted rivers and streams with differing land use has become a valuable research tool. Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) are a sensitive, indicator species that exhibit signs of immunosuppression and endocrine disruption in response to water quality changes and contaminant exposure. To determine the impact of agriculture and...
Authors
Heather L. Walsh, Geoffrey Smith, Megan Schall, Stephanie E. Gordon, Vicki S. Blazer
By
Chesapeake Bay Activities, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Pennsylvania Water Science Center

Host jump of an exotic fish rhabdovirus into a new class of animals poses a disease threat to amphibians Host jump of an exotic fish rhabdovirus into a new class of animals poses a disease threat to amphibians

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV) is a rhabdovirus that primarily infects cyprinid finfishes and causes a disease notifiable to the World Organization for Animal Health. Amphibians, which are sympatric with cyprinids in freshwater ecosystems, are considered non-permissive hosts of rhabdoviruses. The potential host range expansion of SVCV in an atypical host species was evaluated by...
Authors
Eveline J. Emmenegger, Emma K. Bueren, Carla M. Conway, George E. Sanders, A. Noble Hendrix, Tamara Schroeder, Emiliano Di Cicco, Phuc H. Pham, Lumsden John S., Sharon C. Clouthier
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center

Paramyxoviruses of fish Paramyxoviruses of fish

The first fish paramyxovirus was isolated from normal adult Chinook salmon returning to a coastal hatchery in Oregon in the fall of 1982. Subsequently, the virus was isolated from other stocks of adult Chinook salmon and one stock of adult coho salmon in California, Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, leading to its designation as the Pacific salmon paramyxovirus (PsaPV). The slow-growing...
Authors
Ted R. Meyers, William N. Batts
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center

Effects of elevated pCO2 on bioenergetics and disease susceptibility in Pacific herring Clupea pallasii Effects of elevated pCO2 on bioenergetics and disease susceptibility in Pacific herring Clupea pallasii

Ocean acidification can affect the immune responses of fish, but effects on pathogen susceptibility remain uncertain. Pacific herring Clupea pallasii were reared from hatch under 3 CO2 partial pressure ( pCO2) treatments (ambient, ∼650 µatm; intermediate, ∼1500 µatm; high, ∼3000 µatm) through metamorphosis (98 d) to evaluate the effects of ocean acidification on bioenergetics and...
Authors
Christopher Murray, Jacob L. Gregg, Ashley MacKenzie, Hiruni Jayasekara, Sophie Hall, Terrie Klinger, Paul Hershberger
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center

Genome-wide association analysis of the resistance to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in two rainbow trout aquaculture lines confirms oligogenic architecture with several moderate effect quantitative trait loci Genome-wide association analysis of the resistance to infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus in two rainbow trout aquaculture lines confirms oligogenic architecture with several moderate effect quantitative trait loci

Infectious hematopoietic necrosis (IHN) is a disease of salmonid fish that is caused by the IHN virus (IHNV), which can cause substantial mortality and economic losses in rainbow trout aquaculture and fisheries enhancement hatchery programs. In a previous study on a commercial rainbow trout breeding line that has undergone selection, we found that genetic resistance to IHNV is controlled...
Authors
Yniv Palti, Roger L. Vallejo, Maureen K. Purcell, Guangtu Gao, Kristy L. Shewbridge, Roseanna L. Long, Christopher Setzke, Breno O. Fragomeni, Hao Cheng, Kyle E. Martin, Kerrry A. Naish
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Western Fisheries Research Center

Discovery and genomic characterization of a novel hepadnavirus from asymptomatic anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) Discovery and genomic characterization of a novel hepadnavirus from asymptomatic anadromous alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus)

The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is an anadromous herring that inhabits waters of northeastern North America. This prey species is a critical forage for piscivorous birds, mammals, and fishes in estuarine and oceanic ecosystems. During a discovery project tailored to identify potentially emerging pathogens of this species, we obtained the full genome of a novel hepadnavirus (ApHBV)...
Authors
Clayton D. Raines, Jan Lovy, Nicolas B.D. Phelps, Sunil Mor, Terry Ng, Luke R. Iwanowicz
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Western Fisheries Research Center, Eastern Ecological Science Center
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