Comparative experimental transmission of cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS) in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar

Cardiomyopathy syndrome (CMS) has been recorded in wild and farmed Atlantic salmon Salmo salar. Characteristic heart lesions primarily involving the myocardium are reported in natural outbreaks with associated mortality. To date, no experimental trials have reproduced these lesions in the laboratory. The present study reports on the first successful experimental transmission of CMS in Atlantic salmon in Scotland, with full development of the histological lesions that are described for the syndrome. Tissue homogenates of CMS-infected fish indicative of mild and severe lesions from Scottish and Norwegian natural outbreaks, respectively, were injected into naïve fish, and both induced heart lesions consistent with CMS. Lesion development was earlier and progression faster in the fish group receiving the Norwegian homogenate, but equivalent in both groups by the end time point of the experiment. The study demonstrated that the reported condition for both countries is identical, as evaluated through light microscopy, and that tissue homogenates from either mild or severely affected fish contain the transmissible agent.