Piscine orthoreovirus (PRV) is a relevant pathogen for salmonid aquaculture worldwide. In 2015, a new genotype of PRV (genotype 3, PRV-3) was discovered in Norway, and in 2017 PRV-3 was detected for first time in Denmark in association with complex disease cases in rainbow trout in recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS). To explore the epidemiology of PRV-3 in Denmark, a surveillance study was conducted in 2017 to 2019. Fifty-three farms, including both flow through and RAS, were screened for PRV-3. Of the farms examined, PRV-3 was detected in thirty-eight (71.7%), with the highest prevalence in grow-out farms. Notably, in Denmark disease outbreaks were only observed in RAS. Additionally, wild Atlantic salmon and brown trout populations were included in the screening, and PRV-3 was not detected in the three years where samples were obtained (2016, 2018, and 2019). Historical samples in the form of archived material at the Danish National Reference Laboratory for Fish Diseases were also tested for the presence of PRV-3, allowing us to establish that the virus has been present in Denmark at least since 1995. Sequence analyses of segment S1 and M2, as well as full genome analyses of selected isolates, did not reveal clear association between genetic makeup in these two segments and virulence in the form of disease outbreaks in the field.
Keywords: Piscine orthoreovirus genotype 3; double-stranded RNA virus; epidemiology; full genomes; phylogenetic analysis; rainbow trout; surveillance program.