Novel Aquareovirus isolated from channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) used in mussel restoration efforts in Wisconsin.

Channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) are a food fish extensively reared in aquaculture facilities throughout the world and are also among the most abundant wild catfish species in North America, making them a popular target of anglers. Furthermore, channel catfish are important members of aquatic ecosystems; for example, they serve as a glochidial host for the endangered winged mapleleaf mussel (Quadrula fragosa), making them critical for conserving this species through hatchery-based restoration efforts. During a routine health inspection, a novel aquareovirus was isolated from channel catfish used in mussel propagation efforts at a fish hatchery in Wisconsin.

Five Species of Wild Freshwater Sport Fish in Wisconsin, USA, Reveal Highly Diverse Viromes.

Studies of marine fish have revealed distant relatives of viruses important to global fish and animal health, but few such studies exist for freshwater fish. To investigate whether freshwater fish also host such viruses, we characterized the viromes of five wild species of freshwater fish in Wisconsin, USA: bluegill (), brown trout (), lake sturgeon (), northern pike (), and walleye (). We analyzed 103 blood serum samples collected during a state-wide survey from 2016 to 2020 and used a metagenomic approach for virus detection to identify known and previously uncharacterized virus sequences.

Non-Lethal Detection of in Fish.

Emergent infectious diseases have an increasing impact on both farmed animals and wildlife. The ability to screen for pathogens is critical for understanding host-pathogen dynamics and informing better management. is a pathogen of concern, associated with disease outbreaks worldwide, affecting a broad range of fish, amphibian, and reptile hosts, but research has been limited.

Non-Lethal Detection of -Like (RUK13) and -Like (PDE18) Ranaviruses in Two UK-Native Amphibian Species.

Ranaviruses have been involved in amphibian mass mortality events worldwide. Effective screening to control this pathogen is essential; however, current sampling methods are unsuitable for the detection of subclinical infections. Non-lethal screening is needed to prevent both further spread of ranavirus and losses of at-risk species.

Emergence of genomic diversity and recurrent mutations in SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 is a SARS-like coronavirus of likely zoonotic origin first identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, the capital of China's Hubei province. The virus has since spread globally, resulting in the currently ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The first whole genome sequence was published on January 5 2020, and thousands of genomes have been sequenced since this date.