Quarantine, Surveillance and Monitoring of Koi Herpesvirus in Singapore

Susan Kueh Ling Fung, Ling Kai Huat, Poh Yew Kwang

Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore, 5 Maxwell Road Singapore 069110

ABSTRACT

The koi industry in Singapore is a sizable one. Thus, the potential introduction of any significant disease such as koi herpesvirus will be of concern to Singapore. Singapore's freshwater ornamental fish are imported and exported by traders licensed under the Accredited Ornamental Fish Exporters Scheme (AOFES). Under this scheme, the exporters have to get their premises approved according to guidelines set by the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA), which include the provision of designated quarantine areas. These approved premises are inspected monthly by AVA inspectors. As part of routine fish disease surveillances conducted by AVA, regular fish samples are taken from each exporter premise once every six months for laboratory examinations, in the absence of any significant disease. Additional samples are taken for laboratory examinations at greater frequencies should any significant disease outbreaks occur on these premises. Significant results from these surveillances are reported in the Quarterly Aquatic Animal Disease Report (Asia and Pacific Region), which is submitted to the OIE and NACA. Since January 2003, no positive cases have been detected to date from AVA's surveillance for KHV in Singapore.

Since reports of KHV as a significant disease of koi in Israel, Europe and United States in 1998, and the Koi Mass Mortality Syndrome in Indonesia in June 2002, ornamental fish traders dealing with koi in Singapore have been concerned about this disease. AVA has dialogue sessions with Singapore koi farmers and traders in June 2003, to address their concerns and to promote measures to prevent the import of KHV-infected fish into Singapore. Since reports of KHV outbreak in Japan in October 2003, AVA has instituted compulsory inspection, testing and quarantine of all koi consignments imported from Japan and Indonesia. Quarantine is for a minimum period of 3 weeks. Koi samples from a particular consignment, or sentinel KHV-free koi placed together with these imported koi, are subjected to testing for KHV by tissue culture. Only koi tested negative for KHV will be released from quarantine. KHV positive koi consignments will be destroyed, and the premise and equipment disinfected accordingly.