Vaccination against Koi Herpesvirus Disease

For over a decade, koi herpesvirus disease (KHVD) has posed a threat to the common carp and ornamental koi industries. The agent causing the disease was identified as a large double-stranded DNA virus named Cyprinid herpesvirus 3. This chapter discusses the occurrence, significance, etiology, and pathogenesis of KHVD. It then describes the efficacy and side-effects of vaccination. Live attenuated vaccines potentially have many advantages in aquaculture and appear to be the most appropriate for mass vaccination of carp. In general, live vaccine stimulates all phases of the immune system, resulting in balanced systemic and local responses involving both humoral and cellular branches of the immune system. When the temperature regimen and proper vaccination protocol is observed, the attenuated vaccine is efficacious and generates a durable protection both in controlled studies and in the field.