Genotyping of Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis Virus Through Nested PCR and Possible Host-Specific Link by Genogroup

Samples of fish organs from three salmonid species present in Chile, were analyzed through the nested polymerase chain reaction (nested PCR) to detect the presence of Infectious Necrosis Pancreatic virus (IPNV) and leading to their phylogenetic classification. The technique proved to be efficient and sensitive for detection and genotypification of viral samples which could not even be isolated in cell culture. The phylogenetic analysis showed the two genogroups previously described in the country, ie., European (Genogroup 5) and American (Genogroup 1), being the IPNV that belong to Genogroup 5 the dominant one (78.8%). It is clear that the Chilean IPNV is clustered within the Genogroup 1 forming a Chilean genotype that is separated from the reference strains (e.g. WB, VR-299). It was determined that there is a statistically significant relationship between the genonogroup that a viral isolate belongs and a specific host. Most of the viruses from Genogroup 5 were detected in Salmo salar , while the ones from Genogroup 1 were detected mainly in Oncorhynchus mykiss and O. Kisutch (P