Detection of salmonid alphavirus RNA in wild marine fish: implications for the origins of salmon pancreas disease in aquaculture.

The article investigates the potential reservoir of salmonid alphaviruses in wild marine fish species and the implications for the origins of salmon pancreas disease in aquaculture. Salmonid alphavirus carries the etiological agents of salmon pancreas disease in farmed Atlantic salmon and sleeping disease in rainbow trout. The verification of the specificity of sensitive real-time PCR detections is explained. The molecular epidemiological analysis of tissue samples from fish species is discussed.