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Abolishment of spawner-isolated mortality virus and where the remaining science leads

Leigh Owens1

  • 1College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville 4811, Australia.

The Journal of General Virology
|August 3, 2023
PubMed

Insights

Early Australian prawn disease research identified a parvovirus-like agent, initially named spawner-isolated mortality virus (SMV). Re-evaluation reveals SMV is actually Carnobacterium divergens, not a virus, and its associated science should be attributed to infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) and C. divergens.

Area of Science:

  • Aquatic animal health
  • Virology
  • Bacteriology

Background:

  • Histological and electron microscopy in the late 1980s suggested a parvovirus-like agent in Australian prawns, resembling infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV).
  • This agent, named spawner-isolated mortality virus (SMV), was published to inform the scientific and aquacultural communities, despite lacking sequence homology with known viruses.
  • SMV was implicated in mid-crop mortality syndrome during 1993-1995.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To re-evaluate the identity of the agent previously designated spawner-isolated mortality virus (SMV).
  • To clarify the taxonomic status of SMV based on advancements in genomic databases and sequence analysis tools.
  • To provide recommendations for the scientific literature regarding SMV and its associated findings.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative sequence analysis of the SMV genetic material against expanded nucleotide and protein databases.
  • Utilizing cost-effective and advanced sequence investigation tools for accurate identification.
  • Literature review and assessment of publications related to SMV.

Main Results:

  • The sequence previously identified as SMV (GenBank AF499102.1) is definitively identified as Carnobacterium divergens (CP016843.1).
  • There is no evidence supporting SMV as a parvovirus or a distinct viral entity.
  • The scientific findings attributed to SMV are re-contextualized.

Conclusions:

  • The name spawner-isolated mortality virus (SMV) should be abolished.
  • The scientific data previously associated with SMV should be attributed to Carnobacterium divergens and infectious hypodermal and haematopoietic necrosis virus (IHHNV) where applicable.
  • This reclassification corrects the scientific record concerning prawn diseases and their causative agents.
Keywords:
Carnobacterium divergensIHHNVspawner-isolated mortality virus

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