Cellular and molecular aspects of the experimental ranavirosis in Nile tilapias (Oreochromis niloticus)

Abstract

Some pathologies associated with tilapia farming brings huge losses to farmers, resulting in significant rates of morbidity and mortality among animals of all ages. In this regard, requirements for the improvement of the laboratory diagnosis of infectious and contagious diseases became constant, given the economic, environmental and social losses associated. Among the major viral pathogens, showing worldwide distribution and recent history, Ranavirus stands out, and on which the studies in Brazil remain limited. The Ranavirus are viruses that infect ectothermic vertebrates causing widespread necrosis, focal hemorrhages and cellular apoptosis in infected animals. Detailed knowledge of the pathogenicity of this agent in tilapias is important for understanding the development and severity of the associated diseases, in view of the significant growth of the production of this fish in Brazil. In this sense, the main objective of this project is to accomplish experimental infections with Ranavirus in Nile tilapias (Oreochromis niloticus) for evaluation of the anatomopathological changes, viral load and immune response of the infected animals. (AU)