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Fish
Collected in Ohio Test Negative for Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia (VHS) August
21, 2008 FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE COLUMBUS,
OH – Fish collected
from 22 sites throughout Ohio recently tested negative for Viral Hemorrhagic
Septicemia (VHS). The monitoring study, conducted in Fall 2007 and Spring 2008,
was a collaborative effort of the Ohio Sea Grant College Program, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service Reynoldsburg Office, the Ohio Department of Agriculture
(ODA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health
Inspection Service (USDA-APHIS) Veterinary Services. Collection
protocols followed USDA sampling procedures, which required the capture of 170
susceptible fish per site. Testing was completed by ODA’s Division of
Animal Industry. Negative results were found for all sampled fish, including
those caught in Clear Fork Reservoir, where the Ohio Department of Natural
Resources’ Division of Wildlife recently collected muskellunge (muskie)
ovarian fluid that tested positive. The Ohio Sea Grant sample from Clear Fork
did not include muskellunge. Fish
suffering from VHS can display hemorrhaging of internal organs, skin, and
muscle. If bleeding is externally visible, it will be particularly evident in
the eyes, gills, and at the bases of the fins. Other symptoms can include
darkened coloration, a bloated abdomen, bulging eyes, and lethargy or abnormal
swimming and darting. It is possible for fish to carry the virus but show no
clinical signs. VHS
is not related to the Ebola virus, and it cannot harm humans. The VHS virus can
survive only in cool environments, typically being found in the spring and,
more rarely, in the fall, and therefore cannot survive at the body temperature
of warm-blooded animals. The public should not be afraid to consume any apparently
healthy fish caught in Ohio waters. “I'm
skeptical regarding the substantial long-term impact of VHS on large, wild fish
populations,” said Eugene Braig, assistant director of Ohio Sea
Grant. “You can expect a couple seasons of high mortality with an
initial introduction, but a virus seldom causes 100% mortality, and exposed
organisms that survive often develop some type of immunity. For example, it
should be noted that there have been no substantial confirmed VHS-related kills
on Ohio’s Lake Erie waters after spring 2006 in spite of the virus’
continued presence.” An
ongoing federal order imposed by the USDA-APHIS restricts international and
interstate transport of susceptible fish species. ODA also restricts the
movement of susceptible fish across a line defined by U.S. Route 6 in the west
and Interstate 90 in the east that separates Lake Erie from Ohio’s inland
waters. Fish may be caught and released within a single body of water that
spans state or international boundaries, such as Lake Erie. More
information about VHS, as well as the susceptible species list, can be found at
www.aphis.usda.gov/animal_health/animal_dis_spec/aquaculture/. ### For more
information contact: Eugene
Braig, Assistant Director, Ohio Sea Grant, braig.1@osu.edu,
614-292-8949 --Stacy Brannan Associate Editor Ohio Sea Grant and Stone Lab The Ohio State University brannan.16@osu.edu 614-292-8949 |