A Survey to Detect Largemouth Bass Virus among Fish from Hatcheries in the Southeastern USA

Abstract
Largemouth bass virus (LMBV) is an iridovirus widely distributed in southeastern U.S. populations of wild largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides. However, this virus has not been previously reported from fish hatcheries. During 1999, 15 state hatcheries in 10 states in the southeastern USA were surveyed for LMBV. The virus was isolated from largemouth bass broodfish at five hatcheries, but juvenile largemouth bass were infected in only one of these facilities. There were no indications of the disease caused by LMBV in either adults or juveniles at the time samples were collected. The virus was not isolated in concurrent samples of forage fish from seven of the hatcheries, including three where LMBV was found. Although transmission of LMBV from infected populations to their offspring in hatcheries does not always occur, this virus could be spread by transport of infected broodfish or by stocking infected juvenile largemouth bass.

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