ABSTRACT
Several viruses have been reported in European eel, American eel, and Japanese eel. Viruses isolated from eels have come mostly from Europe and Japan with sporadic occurrences in North America and elsewhere. The impact of these viruses on cultured eel populations is difficult to assess because many have been isolated from apparently normal fish. Eel Virus European (EVE) infected eels become rigid with muscle spasms and the anal fins are congested. The underside of the fish reveals slight petechiation. Ascitic fluid may be present in the abdominal cavity and, at times, the gills become hyperplastic with fusion of the lamellae giving them a swollen appearance. Most of the eel rhabdoviruses have been isolated from normal, apparently healthy elvers; there are few clinical signs of infection. Of all the viruses from eels, the rhabdoviruses may be of greatest interest to fish virologists. The frequency with which viruses have been isolated from symptomatic or asymptomatic cultured eels enhances their importance to aquaculture.
