This disease can cause high mortality in salmon that live in a marine environment. It is a pathogen of concern for many international fish health regulatory authorities, and it is common to test fish for this bacterium as part of export certification testing.
It is regularly detected in wild salmon populations in the Pacific Northwest and is endemic to the United States. IHNV can cause significant disease and mortality, particularly in sockeye salmon, which is why it is of concern to fish health regulators.