Prevalence of Cyprinid herpesvirus 3 and ORF150 genomic variations in carp populations of Indonesia

Cyprinid herpesvirus-3 (CyHV-3) is the etiological agent of koi herpesvirus disease (KHVD) in common and koi carp farming. This highly contagious pathogen has a 295-kb genome that harbours 156 open reading frames. Recent in vitro experimental evolution studies highlighted strong dynamics of genomic structural variations (SVs), in particular in the region of ORF150, an ORF potentially involved in virus multiplication and host inflammatory response. Among these SVs, a 1363-bp deletion could be associated with a loss of virulence. The present study aimed at investigating the genomic variations in the ORF150 region, and especially the deletion, in viruses isolated from carp populations of Indonesia. A screening of 236 fish from 43 different farms revealed a high prevalence of CyHV-3 (nearly 70%), both in symptomatic and asymptomatic common carp. However, in contrast with the results obtained in vitro, long read sequencing of the ORF150 region revealed a low level of genetic variations and the absence of the 1363-pb deletion. The complex interactions between the virus, the environment and the host, particularly the immune system, probably play an important role in this reduced variability.