# Deadly eel virus can spread in a surprising way

Source: [Earth.com](https://www.earth.com/animals/deadly-eel-virus-can-spread-in-a-surprising-way/) · 2026-11-11 · Earth & Climate
Page: https://themorning.science/story/deadly-eel-virus-can-spread-in-a-surprising-way-39c4d4ede91c06d3
Kind: research · Impact: medium

## In brief

- A herpesvirus that kills European eels can spread from one fish to another when they bite each other, according to a Belgian study.
- The study provides the first evidence that biting can transmit this virus.
- Until now it was assumed that these fish viruses spread mainly through water.

## Why it matters

Showing that biting transmits the virus changes how infection spread in eel stocks is understood, which matters for managing disease in farmed and wild European eels.

## Timeline

- 2026-11-11: Earth.com reports the Belgian study showing biting can transmit the eel herpesvirus

## Coverage

- [Deadly eel virus can spread in a surprising way](https://www.earth.com/animals/deadly-eel-virus-can-spread-in-a-surprising-way/) — Earth.com, 2026-11-11

Tags: eel, herpesvirus, fish disease, transmission, belgium

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Brief generated by AI (claude-haiku-5-5) from the reporting listed under Coverage. Headlines belong to their publishers. The Morning Science – https://themorning.science