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National Invasive Species Information Center
U.S. Department of Agriculture
  1. Home
  2. Aquatic Invasives
  3. Aquatic Pathogens and Diseases
  4. Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia

Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia

Scientific Name

Novirhabdovirus sp. (Family Rhabdoviridae) (Kim and Faisal 2011)

Common Name

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHS), Egtved virus

Native To

First detected in Europe (Bain et al. 2010)

Date of U.S. Introduction

First isolated in the Great Lakes in 2005; had most likely been present for several years (Bain et al. 2010)

Means of Introduction

Unknown, possibly through ballast water (Bain et al. 2010)

Impact

Viral disease of fish that infects a wide range of species and can cause large fish kills (Bain et al. 2010)

Current U.S. Distribution

Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia symptoms

Fish infected with VHS like this Lake St. Clair shad bleed from their organs and skin

Credit

Mohammed Faisal Professor of aquatic animal medicine at Michigan State University

Source
Great Lakes Echo.

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