Background: Marine invertebrates are provided as a first feed for marine fish larvae because of their strict nutritional requirements, despite also being a potential source of infectious agents.
Aim: To assess horizontal transmission of a nervous necrosis virus reassortant strain (NNV) to sole larvae via Artemia and rotifers.
Materials and methods: Rotifer (Brachionus plicatilis) and Artemia (Artemia salina) nauplii cultures were bath infected with a reassortant (RGNNV/SJNNV) NNV strain isolated from gilthead sea bream and viral internalisation was confirmed by IFA. Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) larvae were fed on infected Artemia and disease signs and mortality were recorded. In addition, NNV viability was checked in cultures of either unfed invertebrates or invertebrates fed on phytoplankton and in the supernatant of microalgae cultures. All samples were tested by RT-qPCR and inoculation in cell culture.
Results: Both rotifers and Artemia internalised NNV. Experimental transmission to sole larvae was achieved using infected Artemia and subsequently 60% mortality was recorded. At 24 h post-infection, orally infected individuals contained 9.34 × 104 copies of viral RNA, whereas the bath infection yielded 2.05 × 106 RNA copies larvae-1. Viral presence in both invertebrates was detected up to 8 days post infection but viral load decreased over time. Feeding with microalgae decreased viral detection even more and microalgae supernatants were demonstrated to significantly affect NNV viability.
Conclusions: Our results demonstrate that both invertebrates can bioaccumulate NNV and that Senegalese sole larvae fed on infected Artemia might develop viral encephalopathy and retinopathy and high mortality.
Keywords: Artemia salina; Brachionus plicatilis; Solea senegalensis; Antiviral activity; Senegalese sole larvae; horizontal transmission; mortality; nervous necrosis virus; rotifer.