Aquareoviruses are non-enveloped with a double layered capsid and contain a genome composed of 11 segments of double stranded RNA. The list of aquareoviruses isolated from fish and shellfish is already long and is growing. Although most aquareoviruses have been isolated from apparently healthy fish and do not cause high mortalities, pathogenesis studies indicate they can cause subclinical infections and can initiate a carrier state. Genetic analysis of aquareoviruses has indicated the existence of great variability among different isolates. A better knowledge of the molecular biology of aquareoviruses will help in the understanding of their origin and their role as pathogens for aquatic animals. This review summarizes the present knowledge of the pathogenesis, genetics and molecular biology of aquareoviruses. 1996.
