The susceptibility of blue catfish, (lctalurusfurcatus), and reciprocal channel (l. punctatus) x blue catfish hybrids to channel catfish virus (CCV) was determined through several methods of exposure. Mortalities of blue catfish, when injected intraperitoneally with CCV, were similar to what would be expected with channel catfish. Histopathology of CCV-injected blue catfish did not deviate from that of similarly infected channel catfish. Infection of blue catfish and the hybrids by swabbing the gills, dipping fish in a virus solution, or by cohabitation with CCV-diseased fish were primarily ineffective. It is concluded that blue catfish and hybrids of channel catfish x blue catfish are as equally susceptible as channel catfish to injection of CCV but the blue catfish are refractive to the virus by m9re natural routes of transmission.
