VIRAL HEMORRHAGIC SEPTICEMIA, FISH - USA: (WISCONSIN)
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International Society for Infectious Diseases <http://www.isid.org>
Date: Fri 1 Apr 2011
Source: Journal Sentinel, JS Online [edited] <http://www.jsonline.com/news/milwaukee/119090014.html>
Massive fish kill in Milwaukee harbor linked to virus
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A massive fish kill last month [March 2011] in the Milwaukee harbor has been linked to a deadly fish virus that was first discovered in Lake Michigan in 2007. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources [DNR] reports it is the 1st time the disease known as viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, has been found in Lake Michigan waters since 2008.
VHS is sometimes referred to as a fish-specific version of the deadly [ebolavirus]. It is harmless to humans, but can affect several dozen fish species, including popular sport and commercial fish such as perch, trout and whitefish.
The virus targeted thousands of gizzard shad in last month's [March 2011] fish kill. It's the 1st time that species has tested positive for VHS in Wisconsin waters, according to the DNR.
Nobody knows how the virus got into the Great Lakes, but a likely explanation is it was carried in by oceangoing freighters. To keep it from spreading to the state's inland waters, the DNR has implemented restrictions on the bait fish industry, including no minnow harvesting on VHS infested waters, which include Lake Michigan, Lake Superior, the Mississippi River, and Lake Winnebago. It also requires boaters and anglers to drain their gear when leaving a body of water or before entering the state.
Those may be slowing the spread of the virus, but it's clear from the fish kill last month [March 2011] that the disease hasn't gone away.
"The important message here is VHS is still out there and we have to be vigilant about cleaning our boats and not moving fish around," Al Kaas, the DNR's fish hatchery operations chief, said in a news release.
[Byline: Dan Egan]
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[Information about the disease viral hemorrhagic septicemia may be found in ProMED-mail post 20100130.0325.
This virus is of serious concern to the Great Lakes and the associated departments of natural resources. Therefore, it seems that there would have been ongoing surveillance on Lake Michigan. If that is the case, then one has to wonder why the virus has not been found in the years from 2008 until 2011. This is not a new species, nor is the virus new to the Great Lakes. If there is a reason for the gap in the years, with surveillance in place, we would be interested in knowing it. - Mod.TG]
[If the virus is being spread by oceangoing freighters crossing the lakes, then precautions being taken by fishermen will not solve the problem. But it is impractical to prevent cargo ships flushing their bilges in the Great Lakes. It was just such a practice in an ocean port that brought cholera to Peru after 100 years of freedom from the disease. - Mod.JW]
[Photos of gizzard shad (_Dorosoma cepedianum_) can be seen at <http://cnre.vt.edu/efish/families/images/jpegs/gizzshad.jpg> and <http://c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00009GlzN8NRkBI/s/650/650/Gizzard-Shad-GS-127.jpg>.
Milwaukee and the Great Lakes can be seen on the maps at <http://healthmap.org/r/012b> and <http://www.elisedallaire.com/pix/src/Great_Lakes_1913_Storm_Shipwrecks.png>
- Sr.Tech.Ed.MJ]
[see also:
2010
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Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA (03): (Great Lakes)
20100510.1524
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA (02): Lake Superior
20100415.1219
Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA: (Lake Superior)
20100130.0325
2009
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Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA: (MI) 20090903.3103
2008
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Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA (02): (OH) 20080708.2072 Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA: (OH) 20080611.1842
2007
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Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA (NY) 20070622.2012 Viral hemorrhagic septicemia - USA (Lake Michigan) 20070526.1679 Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA (MI,WI) 20070519.1595 Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA (Lake Erie) 20070501.1418 Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA (MI) 20070127.0353
2006
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Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, fish - USA (multistate): ban 20061029.3102] .................................................sb/tg/mj/jw/ll
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