Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus Dynamics in Fish Species
Summary
Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) is a non-enveloped, double-stranded RNA virus of the Birnaviridae family that causes acute disease and high mortality in juvenile salmonids and other farmed fish. The virus genome is bi-segmented, encoding structural proteins including the major capsid protein VP2, and non-structural components such as the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. Dynamics of IPNV infections are shaped by viral entry pathways, host genetic susceptibility, immune responses and environmental stressors. Key determinants of pathogenicity map to hypervariable regions of VP2, where single amino-acid changes can shift virulence. Genetic surveillance worldwide has revealed multiple genogroups and serotypes, with local aquaculture practices influencing viral evolution. Fish mount innate responses through interferons, pattern-recognition receptors and macrophage activation, while adaptive immunity, including neutralising antibodies, may not always correlate with protection. Stress events and suboptimal temperatures can modulate viral replication and facilitate reversion of attenuated strains to virulence. Understanding the interplay between viral molecular determinants, host defences and environmental factors is essential to inform vaccination strategies, selective breeding for resistance and farm management to mitigate the global impact of IPNV.
Research from Nature Portfolio
Recent studies have demonstrated that IPNV gains entry to Chinook salmon embryo (CHSE-214) cells primarily by macropinocytosis. Viral particles co-localise with fluid-phase markers, and inhibition of the Na+/H+ exchanger significantly reduces infection. Disruption of key regulators such as EGFR, Rac1, Pak1 and PKC also diminishes viral uptake, whereas clathrin- and caveolin-mediated pathways appear dispensable. These findings elucidate a dominant endocytic route and identify host factors that could be targeted to block early stages of IPNV infection in cell culture models.
Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus Dynamics in Fish Species publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in infectious pancreatic necrosis virus dynamics in fish species across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Birnavirus: A family of non-enveloped, double-stranded RNA viruses with a bipartite genome.
VP2: The major capsid protein of IPNV, containing hypervariable regions that influence virulence and antigenicity.
Genogroup/Serotype: Classification of viral isolates based on genetic sequence (genogroup) or antigenic properties (serotype).
Macropinocytosis: A form of endocytosis involving actin-driven uptake of extracellular fluid and particles into large vesicles.
Virulence determinant: A molecular feature of a virus, such as specific amino-acid motifs, that modulates its pathogenic potential.
References
- Evolution of an Extended Pathogenicity Motif in VP2 of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus Isolates from Farmed Rainbow Trout in Turkey. Viruses (2024).
- The Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus (IPNV) and its Virulence Determinants: What is Known and What Should be Known. Pathogens (2020).
- Gene expression comparison of resistant and susceptible Atlantic salmon fry challenged with Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis virus reveals a marked contrast in immune response. BMC Genomics (2016).
- Stress-Induced Reversion to Virulence of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus in Naïve Fry of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar L.). PLOS ONE (2013).
- Infectious pancreatic necrosis virus enters CHSE-214 cells via macropinocytosis. Scientific Reports (2017).
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