Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes

[ruthbeme]

Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes
<TABLE cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD vAlign=top><TABLE align=right border=0 valign="bottom"><TBODY><TR><TD><TABLE class=gtv_assetstable id=GetFullStory1_tblassets cellSpacing=1 cellPadding=5 width=150 bgColor=#f0f0f0 border=0><TBODY><TR><TD align=middle></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>By Lars Hagberg, USA TODAY

Created: 4/30/2007 8:13:42 AM
Updated: 4/30/2007 8:15:30 AM


<!--Two men enjoy the early morning sunrise as they fish along the shore of Lake Ontario in Kingston, Ontario, on April 20. An Ebola-like virus has been killing fish in several Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario.

-->Two men enjoy the early morning sunrise as they fish along the shore of Lake Ontario in Kingston, Ontario, on April 20. An Ebola-like virus has been killing fish in several Great Lakes, including Lake Ontario.

A deadly Ebola-like virus is killing fish of all types in the Great Lakes, a development some scientists fear could trigger disaster for the USA's freshwater fish.

Because of a lack of genetic resistance to viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish populations could be damaged in the same way the smallpox virus struck Native Americans and Dutch elm disease decimated elm trees, says Jim Winton, chief of fish health at the U.S. Geological Survey in Seattle.

The disease has been found in Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Huron, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the Niagara River and an inland lake in New York. The aggressive virus, which causes fish to hemorrhage, was unexpectedly found in the Great Lakes in 2005. Last year, it resulted in large fish kills that struck at least 20 species. Scientists are watching to see whether the disease returns in mid-May when water in the lakes warms to temperatures at which the virus attacks.

"VHS is the most important and dangerous fish virus known worldwide," Winton says. "Its discovery in our fresh water is disturbing and potentially catastrophic."

The United States and Canada try to contain the virus by restricting the transporting of fish and live bait and telling boaters to wash their boats when moving them between lakes. Michigan's Department of Natural Resources has taken the most dramatic action: closing hatcheries that produce three important sport fish - walleye, northern pike and muskellunge.

"The last thing you want to do is get the virus into the hatcheries and become a vehicle for spreading the virus," says Gary Whelan, who runs the state's hatcheries and chairs the multistate Great Lakes Fish Health Committee.

"What's so disturbing is that it's killing fish from so many species and with amazingly high mortality levels," says Paul Bowser, professor of aquatic animal medicine at Cornell University. The virus does not threaten humans, Bowser says. "If you cook the fish, heat will kill the virus," he says.

How VHS got into the Great Lakes is unclear. The dumping of ocean water from an international cargo ship is a suspected cause. Also not ruled out: spawning fish swimming upstream or a bird carrying a diseased fish.

Genetic tests show that the strain of VHS found in the Great Lakes probably originated in the Atlantic Ocean, near New Brunswick, Canada. That places the virus' origin near the start of the St. Lawrence River shipping route that leads to the lakes.

VHS thrives in water of 40 to 59 degrees. Most water in the Great Lakes, which contain about 20% of the world's fresh water, has not hit that temperature yet this year.

"The best-case scenario is that the virus becomes something that lurks in the background and attacks only when conditions are ripe," Whelan says. "I'm not expecting that, but I am hoping."
http://www.wzzm13.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=74610

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[ruthbeme]

Re: Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes

Fish Virus In The Great Lakes Causing Concern

Main Category: Veterinary News
Article Date: 15 May 2007 - 5:00 PDT

Media reports coming in from towns in and around the Great Lakes in North America are expressing concern about the spread of a deadly fish virus called viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) that is thought to have killed large numbers of fish in the past few years. The virus is not harmful to humans.

Fish experts from the Department of Natural Resources in Wisconsin have conducted tests on two fish found from Little Lake Butte des Morts near Oskosh that suggest the virus is beginning to spread to inland waters.

VHS is a highly contagious pathogen that infects fresh and saltwater fish and causes them to bleed to death internally.

It has been found in several of the Great Lakes and tributaries and is thought to be behind the large scale die offs of fish populations in those waters in recent years. As well as the worrying impact on wildlife and ecosystems of millions of fish dying from the dreadful disease, it is feared that if the virus spreads it could do significant damage to the local economy and leisure industry.

The authorities are urging people fishing and boating in the area to be extra careful with equipment cleanliness, bait disposal and movement of live fish. For instance, these points were made by the Sheboygan Press in Wisconsin earlier today:

• Never move fish eggs or live fish to other waters.
• Buy bait only from recognized local dealers.
• Clear aquatic plants, animals and mud from your boat, trailer and equipment before you leave.
• Drain the water from your boat, motor, bilges, live wells and bait containers before you leave.
• Don't throw left over unwanted bait in the water.
• Rinse your boat and any other equipment that has been in the water with hot water, or dry it for at least five days.
• If you see large numbers of dead fish or find any with blood spots, report it to the local DNR representative or conservation warden.

it is not known how the disease arrived in the Great Lakes. It was first detected in Lake Ontario in 2005 although research suggests it was in Lake St Clair two years before that. Before being detected in the Great Lakes it was believed that VHS was confined to saltwater finfish in the Atlantic and Pacific. It is likely that the virus in the Great Lakes is a new strain of VHS.

In October last year the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) issued a federal order banning the importation into the US of 37 species of live fish from two provinces in Canada. The order also banned the movement of the same types of fishes among the 8 US states that surround the Great Lakes.

This month the federal order was revised to allow "catch and release" of the 37 species of fish in waters that traverse the state and national boundaries because it is now thought that this activity does not significantly increase the spread of the virus. Catch and release fishing does not involve moving VHS vulnerable fish from place to place; the fish are returned to the water they are caught in. Neither are they used as live bait.

The relaxation of the order will now allow many recreational activities that are very popular in the region to proceed, such as tournaments, fishing derbies, competitions, and anglers who just want to do some catch and release fishing.

VHS causes hemorraghing and death in over 37 species of fish including various kinds of trout, cod, herring, salmon, perch and pike. Some fish show little external signs of infection, while others develop bulging eyes and bloated abdomens, while hemorrhaging from the eyes, gills and base of the fins may also occur.

Fish with VHS can also develop lesions that can be misread as symptoms of other infections, so the only definitive way to diagnose the disease is through testing.

The virus spreads from fish to fish through urine and other fluids that are released into the water where it can survive for two weeks. It can also spread as fish eat other infected fish. Also, the water-borne virus invades a new host through the gills and within 48 hours is being shed again. Even fish that survive the infection and have developed antibodies can shed the virus and spread it to other fish.

Click here for more information about VHS in fish and the details behind the Federal Order (from USDA, requires PDF reader).

Written by: Catharine Paddock
Writer: Medical News Today
Copyright: Medical News Today
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/healthnews.php?newsid=70979

 

[ruthbeme]

Re: Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes

Summary Box: DNR prepares rule aimed at fish virus

By The Associated Press
The Associated Press - Thursday, May 17, 2007

THE PROBLEM: Tests found a virus in a type of fish from Lake Winnebago, raising concern it has spread from the Great Lakes where it has caused fish kills.
THE REACTION: The Department of Natural Resources prepared an emergency rule aimed at containing the virus by prohibiting the movement of live fish off the Lake Winnebago system, among other provisions.
WHAT'S NEXT: The Natural Resources Board scheduled an emergency meeting Thursday afternoon to act on the emergency rule.
http://www.wctrib.com/ap/index.cfm?page=view&id=D8P5PU481

 

[JJackson]

Re: Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes

VHS thrives in water of 40 to 59 degrees. Most water in the Great Lakes, which contain about 20% of the world's fresh water, has not hit that temperature yet this year.

"The best-case scenario is that the virus becomes something that lurks in the background and attacks only when conditions are ripe," Whelan says. "I'm not expecting that, but I am hoping."

Realtime and historical water temperature (and other data) can be found here.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/hmd.shtml

Also see graphs on page 479 of this .pdf http://coastwatch.glerl.noaa.gov/overview/papers/19990006.pdf

 

[ruthbeme]

Re: Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes

Lab Confirms Deadly Fish Virus Spreading to New Species


<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=textsm>By: Cornell University
Published: May 19, 2007 at 06:29

</TD><TD class=text vAlign=top align=right><!-- Start ApplyTools code --></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>

<SCRIPT> if ("" > "") { document.write ("<table align='right' width='200' cellpadding='5'><tr><td>"); document.write (""" + "" + """); document.write ("</td></tr></table>"); } </SCRIPT>A lethal fish virus in the Great Lakes and neighboring waterways is approaching epidemic proportions, according to Paul Bowser, Cornell professor of aquatic animal medicine in the College of Veterinary Medicine. The viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV), which causes anemia and hemorrhaging in fish, has now been identified in 19 species and poses a potential threat to New York's $1.2 billion sport-fishing industry.

"It's pretty obvious this is an epidemic even if it isn't official," said Bowser. "There are just so many species affected and so many mortalities."

Three new fish kills have occurred in 2007 in New York waters since the virus was identified in the Great Lakes Basin in 2005. In the St. Lawrence River, hundreds of thousands of round gobies have succumbed to the disease; gizzard shad die-offs from VHSV in Lake Ontario west of Rochester and in Dunkirk Harbor on Lake Erie also have been reported. This month the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources made a presumptive identification of the virus for the first time in the Lake Winnebago chain of inland lakes about 25 miles south of Green Bay on Lake Michigan; confirmation is pending. And millions of dead freshwater drum formed windrows of carcasses along the beaches of Lake Erie in 2006, all victims of VHSV.

Other species from the Great Lakes Basin area that have tested positive by Cornell include bluegill, rock bass, black crappie, pumpkinseed, smallmouth and largemouth bass, muskellunge (New York's No. 2 sport fish), northern pike, walleye, yellow perch, channel catfish, brown bullhead, white perch, white bass, emerald shiner, bluntnose minnow, freshwater drum, round goby, gizzard shad and burbot. Roughly 1,600 fish have been tested at Cornell since May 2006.

Bowser suspects the virus may have originated from an infected marine fish off the Atlantic Coast and that the virus is still relatively new to the region. Other possible sources of the virus include the movement of infected fish by airborne or terrestrial predators, anglers using infected bait minnows, contaminated fishing equipment or live water wells in boats, boating activities and ballast water.

"Basically, we don't know how it got here, but it is here and it's spreading," said Bowser. "It would be wonderful if we did know. However, I don't think we ever will."

The Great Lakes VHSV is not related to the European or Japanese genotypes and poses no health threat to humans, said Bowser. However, as a general rule, people should avoid eating any fish (or game) that appears abnormal or behaves abnormally. Not all infected fish, however, exhibit symptoms. Some may be carriers, and visible signs of the disease may vary from species to species.

Containing the spread of the virus in New York will require restrictions on the movement of live fish, testing fish and surveillance. For instance, New York state regulations require that bait fish be used in the same body of water from which they were collected unless they have been tested. In Wisconsin, new emergency rules prohibit anglers and boaters from moving live fish and require them to drain their boats and live wells before leaving Wisconsin's Great Lakes waters, the Mississippi River and those tributaries up to the first impassable dams, according to the Associated Press.

The spread of the virus could have a devastating impact on aquaculture and particularly the channel catfish trade, which constitutes about 80 percent of aquaculture business in the United States, said Bowser. Catfish is a very popular food fish in the Deep South.

"We have detected VHSV in channel catfish in our surveillance efforts," said Bowser. "The ability of the virus to go beyond a carrier state and cause disease in this important aquaculture species is a major research question we plan to investigate this year."

Cornell researchers have been assisting the New York state VHSV surveillance in collaboration with the state Department of Environmental Conservation, Cornell's Biological Field Station, Oneida Lake and the SUNY College of Environmental Sciences and Forestry?Syracuse Thousand Island Biological Station on the St. Lawrence River. Researchers also are working with support from the United States Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

Earlier this year Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine received a two-year, $181,000 grant from the New York Sea Grant Program to advance a rapid technique, developed by Cornell virologist James Casey, for detecting the deadly virus. Current tests take a month, while the Cornell test yields results within 24 hours. Researchers hope to have the new technique validated by the end of 2007 and all fieldwork completed by the end of 2008.
http://www.yubanet.com/artman/publish/article_57315.shtml

 

[ruthbeme]

Re: Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes

Budd Lake VHS confirmation a disappointment to fishery managers
By Steve Griffin
05/21/2007


"I wouldn't call it a shock," said Tammy Newcomb of the Department of Natural Resources Fisheries Division, of last week's confirmation of viral hemorrhagic septicemia (VHS) in Clare County's Budd Lake.
"But it is a huge, huge, disappointment," said Newcomb, DNR Lake Huron Basin coordinator.

VHS had been documented in Lake Erie, Lake St. Clair and Lake Huron, and biologists expected it to reach Lake Michigan within a couple of years -- but this was its first confirmation in inland Michigan waters.

Thursday's announcement followed, by about two weeks, confirmation of the disease in some Wisconsin inland lakes in the Lake Michigan watershed.

While ocean-going ships releasing untreated ballast water are believed to have introduced the virus to the Great Lakes, anglers or boaters likely brought it to Budd Lake.

"It (Budd Lake) is so isolated (from other waters), right in the center of the state," said Newcomb. "There's a vector there somewhere," she said of the way the virus was introduced to lake, "but I don't know that we'll ever know what it is."

The DNR has not conclusively pinned the deaths of Budd Lake bluegills, crappies and muskellunge on VHS: it has only confirmed that the virus was present in the fish.

The lake also experienced a bloom of blue-green algae, which can kill fish. "It's possible that the algae bloom weakened the fish, and that the virus was then opportunistic," overwhelming the weakened fish, said Newcomb.

Fish infected with VHS often show hemorrhaging on the skin, either in large red patches or small pinpoints. But they sometimes show no external signs of the disease. Sick fish often appear listless, swim in circles, or suspend nearly motionless just below the water surface.

The DNR says the virus and disease do not affect people, including those who eat infected fish.

Are there other Michigan fish kills in which VHS is suspected? "I don't know of any that are labeled suspicious at this time," said Newcomb. She said other districts within the state may have on-going investigations.

Spring fish die-offs are not uncommon, as water layers turn over and dissolved oxygen levels either spike or collapse. The rigors of spawning also sometimes take their toll.

The 17-day span between the Budd Lake fish kill and the VHS announcement reflects the lab time needed to confirm the virus. "It takes the cell lines a couple of weeks to develop," said Newcomb, noting that Cornell University in New York state is working to develop swifter diagnostic techniques.

That will become especially important if, as expected, DNR Director Rebecca Humphries issues a fish disease control order on June 7, among other steps requiring disease-free certification of minnows and fish eggs before they can be sold and used outside of the areas from which they originated.

Currently, Newcomb said, just three labs, including MSU, can make such a determination.

DNR officials hope they can keep VHS from spreading to additional bodies of water, or at least, buy some time to learn more about the disease and how to deal with it -- or "manage around it," in the words of DNR hatchery manager Gary Whelan.

And they're counting on anglers and boaters to help.

"We have a major educational outreach effort that will kick in soon," said Newcomb. "Anglers and boaters can do a tremendous job helping us slow the spread of this disease and invasive (plant and animal) species at the same time."

Those steps include:

* Disinfecting boat livewells, baitwells and bilge areas with a 10-percent bleach solution (1/2 cup bleach to five gallons of water).

* Allowing boats, trailers and fishing tackle to dry completely before moving to another body of water. Several hours of sunlight will disinfect boats and trailers.

* Never moving minnows or fish eggs from one body of water to another.

It would not be unusual for a Midland-area angler to spend part of a day fishing on the Great Lakes waters of Saginaw Bay, then another part on an inland lake such as Sanford or Wixom-- or Budd.

Others might ordinarily move from one inland lake -- say, Budd Lake -- to another.

The same is true of other boaters.

DNR officials hope to rally those anglers and boaters to adopt the lake-safety techniques.

Newcomb has an answer for people who feel the spread of the disease is inevitable, making their efforts unnecessary.

"Will it get to every lake? I can't say yes or no, but I certainly hope not. I hope folks will do all they can to help us avoid that."

DNR staffers will conduct surveillance of state waters for VHS this summer, while researchers watch to see the disease's long-term effect on lakes.

"This (VHS) strain is different from any other strain," said Newcomb. "We don't know what it's going to do -- whether it comes through and kills some fish, and those that survive build immunity, or if it kills young fish year after year after year."

"If it's that," she said of a perennial die-off, "we've got a more serious problem."

VHS information is available on the DNR's website, www.michigan.gov/dnr

http://www.ourmidland.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=18368495&BRD=2289&PAG=461&dept_id=472542&rfi=6

 

[ruthbeme]

Re: Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes

Deadly Fish Virus Hits one of the Finger Lake
Last Update: May 22, 2007 6:56 PM
Posted By: Staci-Lyn Honda

"I’m pretty concerned. I've been keeping on the issue,’" said fisherman Joseph Campbell.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comfficeffice" /><o></o>

News of a deadly virus has left some fisherman worried. It’s called Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia virus or VHS. The virus causes fish to eventually bleed to death.<o></o>


<o></o>
"The virus causes blood to be released into tissues into the body cavity and there isn't enough blood to keep the animal alive,” said Cornell University Professor Dr. James Casey.<o></o>
<o></o>
It's already killed millions of fish in the Great Lakes Area and in <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comffice:smarttags" /><st1lace><st1lacename>New York</st1lacename><st1lacetype>State</st1lacetype></st1lace>, including the <st1lace>St. Lawrence River</st1lace>, <st1lace><st1lacetype>Lake</st1lacetype><st1lacename>Ontario</st1lacename></st1lace> and the <st1lace>Lake Erie</st1lace>. <o></o>
<o></o>
<st1lace><st1lacename>Cornell</st1lacename><st1lacetype>University</st1lacetype></st1lace> researchers are working with the State Department of Environmental Conservation. They say the virus has spread to the Western most <st1lace><st1lacename>Finger</st1lacename><st1lacetype>Lake</st1lacetype></st1lace>, <st1lace><st1lacename>Consesus</st1lacename><st1lacetype>Lake</st1lacetype></st1lace>. Now they're testing fish to figure out if fish in Seneca, Keuka and <st1lace><st1lacename>Cayuga</st1lacename><st1lacetype>Lakes</st1lacetype></st1lace> are affected.<o></o>
<o></o>
Right now researchers believe the virus only affects fish--and poses no threat to humans. But the virus is a huge threat to <st1:state><st1lace>New York</st1lace></st1:state>'s 1.2 billion dollar fishing industry.<o></o>
<o></o>
“if we lose that, we lose the fisherman coming up here. We lose the revenue that goes into motels and restaurants,” said Casey.<o></o>
<o></o>
Researchers say this is the first time they've found the virus in bodies of freshwater, because it's normally only found in marine bodies of water. They say its spread by fish, water and bait and even animals that eat fish.<o></o>
<o></o>
The Department of Environmental Conservation says they have put emergency measures into effect to prevent the further spread of the virus.<o></o>
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"<st1lace>Lake</st1lace> fishing is just starting to heat up. Here's hoping it doesn't spread,” said <st1:city><st1lace>Campbell</st1lace></st1:city>.
<o>http://www.wetmtv.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=b2453e58-6a73-44b0-95ed-78392bf90098</o>

 

[ruthbeme]

Re: Ebola-like virus killing fish in Great Lakes

VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA - USA (LAKE MICHIGAN)*********************************************
A ProMED-mail post<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of theInternational Society for Infectious Diseases<http://www.isid.org>Date: 24 May 2007Source: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel [edited]<http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=610579>

Fish virus discovered in Lake Michigan:
Sport fish test positive, threatening industry------
The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported Thursday [24 May 2007] that 2 sport fish have tested positive for a fatal viral disease, and for the 1st time, the disease has been found in Lake Michigan. The DNR said that a smallmouth bass tested positive for viral hemorrhagic septicemia in Sturgeon Bay and a brown trout also tested positive in Lake Michigan near Algoma in Kewaunee County.In addition, the state's top fish biologist said that the department has picked up other suspect fish from Lake Michigan and expected more positive results in the big lake. The finding -- though not unexpected -- is more bad news for Wisconsin's sport fishery, valued by the DNR at USD 2.3 billion a year.Thousands of muskies, walleye, lake whitefish and other fish have died since 2005 in Lake Huron, Lake St. Clair, Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, according to the DNR. However, the virus poses no threat to humans. The discovery of the disease in Lake Michigan was expected because the virus had been found in Lake Huron near the Mackinac Bridge this year [2007]. The 2 water bodies are connected.The Lake Michigan discoveries come after freshwater drum, or sheepshead, had tested positive on inland waterways this month [May 2007]; first in Little Lake Butte des Morts and then on Lake Winnebago."It's disappointing, but it seemed inevitable," said Mike Staggs, director of fisheries management and habitat protection for the DNR. "What we are going to learn is that it is pretty solidly in Lake Michigan." But he cautioned that the agency has found no evidence of a large-scale die-off of sport fish anywhere in the state.
Antibodies possible-------------------
Staggs said that he did not know the precise location of either fish, other than that the brown trout had washed up on a beach near Algoma and the smallmouth was caught in a net by DNR personnel looking for the disease. Results of the tests on the brown trout were learned Wednesday [23 May 2007] night. The test was conducted by the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory. A backup test has been sent to a federal laboratory in Ames, IA. The brown trout exhibited signs of the disease.The results of the smallmouth [test] were learned on Thursday [24 May 2007]. Staggs said the fish appeared to be healthy. Staggs said that a muskellunge recovered by the DNR from the Fox River also appeared to have contracted the disease. But he said a preliminary test of that fish was negative.Infected fish transmit the virus through their urine and reproductive fluids. The virus eventually causes blood vessels to weaken and hemorrhage, according to the DNR. Some fish can develop antibodies. But over time, antibodies can decline, and the fish can start secreting the virus again and create new cycles of infection. Even after the virus leaves the fish, scientists have found that it can move through the water and infect other fish for 14 days. Staggs said the virus has even been known to stay alive in frozen bait.
Rules unchanged---------------
The latest discovery will not prompt the DNR to adjust emergency rules approved last week [14-18 May 2007] that place restrictions on boaters and anglers in the Lake Winnebago system, because those rules also included rivers and their tributaries up to the first dam where fish could not pass restrictions for Lake Michigan, Lake Superior and the Mississippi River.The emergency regulations prohibit people from moving live fish, including bait minnows, from one waterway to another. The rules also require anglers to drain their bait buckets when they are done fishing. Boaters are required to drain water from their boat, bilge or live well.[Byline: Lee Bergquistlbergquist@journalsentinel.com

http://www.promedmail.org/pls/prome..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,37560




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