Viral gametocytic hypertrophy of the Pacific oyster Crassostrea gigas in Ireland

• Published in: Diseases of Aquatic Organisms
• Main Authors: Cheslett, D., McKiernan, F, Hickey, C, Collins, E
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Inter Research 2009
• Subjects: Crassostrea gigas; Viral gametocytic hypertrophy; Papillomaviridae; Polyomaviridae; Pacific oyster; Gonad; Canada; Pacific
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10793/443; https://doi.org/10.3354/dao02020

Published in DAO Vol. 83, No. 3. Online publication date: February 25, 2009 Print ISSN: 0177-5103; Online ISSN: 1616-1580 Copyright © 2009 Inter-Research. Full text available online: http://www.int-res.com/articles/dao2008/83/d083p181.pdf peer-reviewed Viral gametocytic hypertrophy (VGH) was detected during an investigation of mortalities in Pacific oysters Crassostrea gigas from 2 separate Irish production sites. The basophilic inclusions were observed in the gonad tissue of oysters sampled in August and October 2007. The oysters involved did not show any macroscopic disease signs. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrated the presence of viral particles in these intranuclear inclusions. The particles were small, non-enveloped, icosahedral and approximately 50 nm in diameter and thus had characteristics similar to the Papillomaviridae and Polyomaviridae families. No host defence reaction was observed. The viral particles described here appear to be similar to those described in C. virginica from the USA and Canada and to those described in C. gigas from Korea and France.