Combined effects of AGD and PRV infections in Atlantic salmon

This study is designed to examine the interactions between amoebic gill disease and piscine reovirus in Atalntic salmon. Both infections occur simultaneously in farmed salmon in Norway and this study will examine the effects of these infections on hypoxia tolerance is fish and the associated cardiovascular responses. The study employs use of several physiological techniques such as acute hypoxia challenge test as well as state-of-the-art physiological instrumentation for measuring cardiorespiratory performance of fish in real time. Both AGD and PRV infections may not cause any apparent distress to the fish, and hypoxia challenege is often experienced by fish in commercial farming owing to environmental perturbations, crowding and handling etc. I order to better undertsand the pathology of thee diseases, knowledge of the combination of events and infection are important. A total of 800 Atlantic salmon smolts will be used in the study, which is the minimum required for statistical significance.