Viral infections in Atlantic halibut

To study the different events that occur during a viral infection, the availability of susceptible cell cultures is essential; both for replication studies and for studies of cellular immune mechanisms.

For some viruses, such as nodavirus, suitable cell lines are limited. The main objective of this work was to develop and characterise cell lines from Atlantic halibut.

Results
Cells were isolated from head kidney, spleen, heart, gill, and fin from Atlantic halibut. The cells were then grown at different temperatures and supplemented with a variety of known cell stimulants to stimulate long-term cell growth. We managed to grow and passage cells both from heart and head kidney. Cells from the head kidney isolates varied in morphology from a macrophage-like type to more fibroblastoid-like cells. However, we were not able to passage these cells for more than 6 months, and then the growth stopped, and the cells consequently died, despite of attempts to stimulate growth further with myeloid growth factors. Cell samples were frozen, so future attempts can be made to grow these cells for a longer period, when the availability of cytokines and other growth factors, effective on fish cells, is broader. We cultured 8 different cell isolates from the heart of A. halibut.

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