Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia of Fishes.

Viral hemorrhagic septicemia, or VHS, is a viral disease of trout, salmon, and several nonsalmonid fishes. The disease formerly was known by other names such as infectious kidney swelling and liver degeneration, trout plague, and Egtved disease after a small village in Denmark where there was an outbreak of the disease. The disease occurs in susceptible fishes of any age and is known to cause significant losses in fish populations. Survivors of the infection usually become carriers of the virus. Until recently, when it was detected in the State of Washington United States, VHS virus was confined to European and Scandinavian countries.