능성어의 바이러스성 신경괴사증 바이러스(fish nodavirus)의 병원성을 능성어 및 다른 해산어류를 대상으로 인위감염법에 의해 조사한 결과, 능성어 바이러스성 신경괴사증 바이러스는 능성어에서는 소형어(27 g)부터 대형어(104 g)까지 제사를 일으켜 강한 병원성을 나타냈지만, 실험에 사용한 크기의 방어(537 g), 참돔(207 g), 돌돔(43 g), 넙치(41 g), 자주복(27 g) 및 조피볼락(94 g)에는 폐사를 일으키지 않아 병원성을 나타내지 않았다. 그리고 사육수온별 능성어에 대한 바이러스의 병원성은 수온 $15^{circ}C$에서는 병원성을 나타내지 않았고, 수온 $20sim28^{circ}C$에서는 수온이 높을 수록 병원성을 강하게 나타냈다. 그리고 바이러스는 근육주사, 복강 주사 및 경구감염뿐만 아니라 침지감염과 혼합사육감염에 의해서도 쉽게 능성어에 감염이 되지만, 감염 후 생존한 능성어에 대해서는 바이러스를 재감염시켜도 폐사가 일어나지 않았다.
The pathogenicity of the fish nodavirus causing viral nervous necrosis (VNN) of sevenband grouper, Epinephelus septemfasciatus was examined in sevenband grouper and other marine fish by intramuscular injection. Sevenband groupers of 27~104 g in body weight were highly susceptible to the fish nodavirus, but yellowtail (537 g in body weight), red seabream (207 g), rock bream (43 g), flounder (41 g), tiger puffer (27 g) and rockfish (94 g) of the sizes used to this experiment were not. The pathogenicity of the viral agent to the sevenband grouper was high without regard to fish sizes at rearing water temperature over $20^{circ}C$, but not at $15^{circ}C$. Therefore, susceptibility of sevenband grouper to the viral agent causing VNN was thought to be water temperature-dependent rather than fish size (age-dependent). Compared to the infectivity of the viral agent to sevenband grouper with artificial infection methods, fish were successfully affected by intramuscular, intraperitoneal, oral, dipping and cohabitation administrations although there were slight differences in mortalities among infection methods. And survival sevenband grouper after infection with the fish nodavirus was resistant to the reinfection for a long time.
