Tilapia lake virus: An emerging viral disease of tilapia industry
Zahoor Mushtaq, Ubaid Qayoom, Ishfaq Nazir Mir and Shakir Mir
Tilapines are the second most important group of farmed fish worldwide, and they serve as a primary protein source in the developing world. Tilapia lake virus (TiLV) has been recently described as a virus affecting wild and cultured tilapias. TiLV has been confirmed in some countries in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. It is likely that TiLV may have a wider distribution than is known today and its threat to tilapia farming at the global level is significant. Significant mortality of wild and cultured tilapia has been observed recently in many countries which poses a considerable risk, particularly to small-scale fish farmers. This article reviews the current status of the virus and also summarizes the published scientific information on its aetiology, genome, and susceptible species along with their clinical signs, diagnosis and recommended measures.