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CCVD Viral 🔴 Fatal 🔔 OIE Notifiable

Channel Catfish Virus Disease

🦠 Channel catfish virus (CCV / Ictalurid herpesvirus 1) · Alloherpesviridae

📋 Overview

CCV strikes catfish fingerlings (<10 cm) most severely, especially when water temperatures exceed 25 °C. Adult fish are largely resistant but remain latent carriers, complicating disease control in commercial catfish farming in the southern USA.

📊 Key Facts

Causative Agent
Channel catfish virus (CCV / Ictalurid herpesvirus 1)
Agent Family
Alloherpesviridae
Genome Type
dsDNA
Peak Mortality
100%
Onset to Peak
3–7 days
Geographic Range
USA (primarily southeastern United States catfish farms)
Transmission Routes
Water-borne, horizontal; vertical suspected
Primary Host
Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fingerlings
Treatment
✗ None
Vaccine
✗ None / Experimental
First Described
1968

🩺 Clinical Signs

Haemorrhages on skin and fins, exophthalmia, abdominal distension, spiral swimming, necrotic kidney and spleen.

🔬 Symptoms

🔬
Haemorrhages on skin and fins
Integumentary Acute
🔬
Exophthalmia
Ophthalmic Acute
🔬
Abdominal distension
Abdominal Acute
🔬
Spiral swimming
Neurological Acute

🧪 Diagnosis

Virus isolation in cell culture (CCO cells), PCR, neutralisation tests.

💊 Treatment

⚠️ No universally approved treatment is currently available. The information below covers supportive care and experimental approaches.
No effective treatment. Reduce stocking density and temperature where possible.

🛡️ Prevention

ℹ️ Prevention is the most effective strategy for managing this disease in aquaculture and aquarium settings.
Use CCV-resistant broodstock lines, avoid overcrowding, monitor temperature.