Publication - Factsheet

Diseases of wild and farmed Finfish

Last updated: 11 January 2023 - see all updates
Directorate: Marine Directorate
Topic: Marine and fisheries

Some fish and shellfish diseases of particular significance in Scotland.

Salmonid alphavirus (SAV)

Salmonid alphaviruses are serious pathogens of farmed Atlantic salmon and rainbow trout in Europe. SAVs are single stranded RNA viruses which are divided into 6 genetic subtypes and belong to the genus Alphavirus in the family Togaviridae. SAV3 is found in Norway. SAV 1, 4, 5 and 6 are found in salmon in the UK with SAV 1 being the biggest problem and SAV 2 is associated with rainbow trout sleeping disease throughout Europe including the UK. The clinical signs of the disease can include lethargy, loss of appetite, abnormal swimming and high mortality.

The diagnostic methods include:

Histopathology
Immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT)
Real-Time PCR and Sequencing
Virus isolation

First published: 17 December 2019
Last updated: 11 January 2023 - show all updates
All updates: 11 January 2023
Updated contingency plan links to archive for Gyrodactylus Salaris.

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Salmonid alphavirus (SAV)

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