Clinical Features and Diagnosis of Aquareovirus Infection

Abstract

Aquareoviruses can cause great losses to the aquaculture industry owing to their broad host range. They have been isolated from various marine and freshwater aquatic animals worldwide, including fish and shellfish. There are no effective antiviral therapies or vaccines available thus far for most aquareovirus diseases; therefore, accurate detection and early diagnosis of aquareovirus infections are critical for controlling these diseases. Conventional aquareovirus detection methods include virus isolation from fish cell lines, purification and electron microscopy, genomic electropherotype analysis, immunoenzyme staining, and staphylococcal coagglutination test. Currently, diagnostic methods based on nucleic acids, immunology, and genome sequencing are being developed to overcome the limitations associated with traditional methods. In this chapter, we discuss the progress in research on diagnostic strategies for detecting aquareoviruses, thereby guiding further research on these viruses and the associated disease diagnosis.