First detection of a viral agent causing disease in farmed sturgeon in Russia.

A virus was isolated from Siberian sturgeon Acipenser baeri and bester (beluga Huso huso x sterlet A. ruthenus hybrid) fingerlings in SSO-2, SSF-2 and WSSK-1 cell lines during an acute epizootic on a large fish farm producing fertilised sturgeon eggs and fry. Transmission electron microscopic examination of samples from both inoculated cell cultures and skin of affected fish revealed viral particles with a herpesvirus-like morphology.