ABSTRACT
Tilapia farming is one of the most important sectors in aquaculture worldwide and of major importance to global food security. Infectious spleen and kidney necrosis virus (ISKNV) has been identified as an agent of high morbidity and mortality, threatening tilapia aquaculture. ISKNV was detected in Lake Volta, Ghana, in September 2018 and spread rapidly, with mortality rates between 60 and 90% and losses of more than 10 tonnes of fish per day. Understanding the spread and evolution of viral pathogens is important for control strategies. Here, we developed a tiled-PCR sequencing approach for the whole-genome sequencing of ISKNV, using long read sequencing to enable field-based, real-time genomic surveillance. This work represents the first use of tiled-PCR for whole genome recovery of viruses in aquaculture, with the longest genome target (>110 kb dsDNA) to date. Our protocol was applied to field samples collected from the ISKNV outbreaks from four intensive tilapia cage culture systems across Lake Volta, between October 2018 and May 2022. Despite the low mutation rate of dsDNA viruses, 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms accumulated during the sampling period. Droplet digital PCR identified a minimum requirement of template in a sample to recover 50% of an ISKNV genome at 275 femtograms (2410 viral templates per 5 µL sequencing reaction). Overall, tiled-PCR sequencing of ISKNV provides an informative tool to assist in disease control in aquaculture.