The susceptibility of sole Solea senegalensis to infection with 3 viral haemorrhagic septicaemia virus (VHSV) strains obtained from wild Greenland halibut Reinhardtius hippoglossoides and farmed turbot Psetta maxima was demonstrated. Fish were infected by an intraperitoneal (i.p.), immersion or cohabitational route, and maintained at 16 degrees C. Infection trials showed that VHSV isolates were pathogenic for sole fingerlings by i.p. injection and waterborne exposure causing moderate levels of mortality (10 to 55%). In addition, the mortality observed in fish cohabitating with i.p.-infected sole confirms horizontal transmission of the virus. However, the low rates of mortality registered in this challenge suggest that there is a low dissemination of virus by the i.p.-infected sole, which results in lower secondary challenge of the cohabitating fish. External signs of disease included haemorrhaging of the ventral area and ascitic fluid in the body cavity. Dead fish were tested for VHSV by both cell culture and RT-PCR assay, using pools of kidney and spleen from 10 individuals. Virus was recovered from most of the pools composed of dead fish. The results obtained in this study not only demonstrate the susceptibility of sole to the VHSV strains employed but also indicate that wild VHSV marine isolates represent a potential risk for sole aquaculture.