Bass virus outbreak hits Miss. lake

Associated Press - July 24, 2009 8:54 AM ET

BUDE, Miss. (AP) - U.S. Forest Service biologists have confirmed an outbreak of Largemouth Bass Virus at Lake Okhissa, a popular fishing destination at Homochitto National Forest near Bude in southwest Mississippi.

Biologist Rick Dillard says LMBV is a disease that only affects largemouth bass. It is not always fatal.

Dillard says the outbreak was confirmed Thursday in bass tested at Mississippi State University.

There is no cure or treatment, Dillard says, other than letting "it run its course."

He says LMBV typically occurs during the heat of the summer.

He says only a small number of bass have been affected and the survivors will build up an immunity.

Okhissa is a 1,500-acre lake near Bude that opened two years ago.

Information from: The Clarion-Ledger, http://www.clarionledger.com