Infectious Pancreatic Necrosis (IPN) is a severe and highly contagious viral disease of salmonids that usually affects the fish during its early life stages and in the first phase in the sea. The condition is caused by the infectious pancreatic necrosis virus (IPNV) and can lead to high levels of mortality.
The virus is mainly spread through horizontal transmission (i.e., via infected water and from one individual to the next), although a vertical path of spread has also been suggested (i.e., from parents to the offspring). The outbreaks are usually sudden and can often cause a high number of mortalities and significant economic losses. Following infection, any animals that survive the outbreak can develop a lifelong illness.
Benchmark Genetics offers IPN robust fish using QTL selection, which started in 2007 (Figure 1). Resistance to IPN is highly heritable and can, to a large degree, be explained by genetic variations identified in a single gene. Across salmon populations tested in Benchmark Genetics, around 80–90% of the animals that carry the resistant form of the gene survives the challenge tests (Figure 2).
Benchmark Genetics has QTL IPN as a standard trait in all its products, and we have ensured that all ova carry the resistant QTL combination. Before and in parallel with QTL implementation, the company has been selecting for IPN resistant based on the family level since 2004. The introduction of the IPN QTL has resulted in a significant reduction in numbers of IPN cases.
