Salmonid alphaviruses (SAV; pancreas disease, sleeping disease).
The Fish Diseases Unit is a centre of excellence for research on SAV.
Research highlights include:
- First isolation of salmonid alphavirus (salmon pancreas disease virus [SPDV]), the virus responsible for pancreas disease in Atlantic salmon. Nelson et al. 1995.
- Identification of SPDV as an alphavirus (salmonid alphavirus [SAV]). Weston et al. 1999.
- First isolation of SAV from farmed salmon in Scotland. Rowley et al. 1998.
- First production of monoclonal antibodies to SAV. Todd et al. 2001
- Confirmation that the viruses causing pancreas disease in salmon and sleeping disease in trout are closely related alphaviruses. Weston et al. 2002.
- First isolation of SAV from cases of sleeping disease in the United Kingdom. Graham et al. 2003.
- Development of a rapid serological test for virus neutralizing antibodies. Graham et al. 2003.
- First demonstration of serum as a useful alternative to tissue samples for virus isolation. Jewhurst et al. 2004.
- Application of longitudinal studies to natural outbreaks of SAV in farmed salmon and trout to study the epidemiology of infections. Graham et al. 2005; Graham et al 2006; Graham et al. 2007.
- Phylogenetic studies to identify three distinct subtypes of SAV. Weston et al. 2005.
- Studies on biophysical properties of SAV
- First confirmation of SAV disease in Italy and Spain. Graham et al 2007.
