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Nieto-Claudín A, Sacristán C, Deem SL, Lewbart GA, Colosimo G, Esperón F, Sevilla C, Gentile G. Novel herpesvirus in the critically endangered Galapagos pink land iguana. Acta Trop 2024; 252:107127. [PMID: 38316240 DOI: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2024.107127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2023] [Revised: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/21/2024] [Indexed: 02/07/2024]
Abstract
Virus surveillance in wildlife is important to understanding ecosystem health, taxonomy, and evolution. Nevertheless, viruses in reptiles, and specifically in squamates, continue to be understudied. Herein, we conducted a health assessment on the critically endangered Galapagos pink land iguana (Conolophus marthae) and the vulnerable Galapagos land iguana (Conolophus subcristatus). We collected oral and/or cloacal swabs from 47 clinically healthy iguanas and tested for adenovirus (cloacal swabs, n = 47) and herpesvirus (oral swabs, n = 45) using broad-spectrum PCRs. Two out of 38 (5.3 %) Galapagos pink land iguanas tested positive for herpesvirus, while no herpesvirus was detected in all Galapagos land iguanas (n = 7). Both herpesviral sequences were identical between them and divergent (61.9 % amino acid identity) when compared to the closest herpesvirus sequences available in GenBank/EMBL/DDBJ. The genetic distance between this and other herpesviruses is consistent with its classification as a novel virus species. All iguanas were negative for adenovirus. This is the first description of a herpesvirus in iguanas of the Galapagos islands, and the first report of a potential pathogen for the iconic Galapagos pink land iguana. Further research is needed to understand the implications of this virus in the conservation and management of one of the most endangered iguana species in the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ainoa Nieto-Claudín
- Charles Darwin Foundation. Charles Darwin Avenue, Santa Cruz 200350, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador; Saint Louis Institute for Conservation Medicine, One Government Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States.
| | - Carlos Sacristán
- Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), CSIC, Valdeolmos 28130, Spain.
| | - Sharon L Deem
- Charles Darwin Foundation. Charles Darwin Avenue, Santa Cruz 200350, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador; Saint Louis Institute for Conservation Medicine, One Government Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63110, United States
| | - Gregory A Lewbart
- North Carolina State University, College of Veterinary Medicine, 1060 William Moore Drive, Raleigh, NC 27607, United States; Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ) & UNC-Chapel Hill Galápagos Science Center (GSC), Av. Alsacio Northia, San Cristobal 200150, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
| | | | - Fernando Esperón
- Veterinary Department, School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Universidad Europea de Madrid, Villaviciosa de Odón 28670, Spain
| | - Christian Sevilla
- Galapagos National Park Directorate, Santa Cruz 200350, Galapagos Islands, Ecuador
| | - Gabriele Gentile
- Department of Biology, Tor Vergata University, Rome 00133, Italy
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A NOVEL IGUANID HERPESVIRUS DETECTED IN ASYMPTOMATIC GREEN IGUANAS ( IGUANA IGUANA) IN POLAND. J Zoo Wildl Med 2021; 52:815-819. [PMID: 34130430 DOI: 10.1638/2020-0157] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
While herpesviruses are well-known pathogens in a wide variety of chelonian species, they have only sporadically been documented in squamate reptiles. Those that have been described have most often been associated with hepatic disease and oral lesions. During a study on infectious disease in pet reptiles in Poland, herpesviruses were detected in swabs from three green iguanas (Iguana iguana) from two different owners that were presented to two different veterinary clinics in Warsaw. One iguana was presented for abscesses on the head, while the other two were partner animals and remained clinically healthy throughout the course of this study. Virus was detected in oral swabs as well as combined swab samples from the oral cavity and cloaca using a panherpesvirus PCR. PCR products from all three animals were sequenced, and the detected viruses were most closely related to iguanid herpesvirus 2 from a San Esteban chuckwalla (Sauromalus varius) in the United States (GenBank accession No. AY236869.1). The single animal was retested again 1 y later and remained clinically healthy and continued to shed the same herpesvirus. This is the first description of a herpesvirus infection in pet iguanas in Europe. While the clinical relevance of the infection is not known, it is of interest that the infected animals appeared to continue to shed virus over an extended period of time.
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Okoh GR, Horwood PF, Whitmore D, Ariel E. Herpesviruses in Reptiles. Front Vet Sci 2021; 8:642894. [PMID: 34026888 PMCID: PMC8131531 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2021.642894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Since the 1970s, several species of herpesviruses have been identified and associated with significant diseases in reptiles. Earlier discoveries placed these viruses into different taxonomic groups on the basis of morphological and biological characteristics, while advancements in molecular methods have led to more recent descriptions of novel reptilian herpesviruses, as well as providing insight into the phylogenetic relationship of these viruses. Herpesvirus infections in reptiles are often characterised by non-pathognomonic signs including stomatitis, encephalitis, conjunctivitis, hepatitis and proliferative lesions. With the exception of fibropapillomatosis in marine turtles, the absence of specific clinical signs has fostered misdiagnosis and underreporting of the actual disease burden in reptilian populations and hampered potential investigations that could lead to the effective control of these diseases. In addition, complex life histories, sampling bias and poor monitoring systems have limited the assessment of the impact of herpesvirus infections in wild populations and captive collections. Here we review the current published knowledge of the taxonomy, pathogenesis, pathology and epidemiology of reptilian herpesviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- God'spower Richard Okoh
- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Paul F Horwood
- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - David Whitmore
- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
| | - Ellen Ariel
- Division of Tropical Health and Medicine, College of Public Health, Medical and Veterinary Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
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Andersson KE, Adamovicz L, Mumm LE, Winter JM, Glowacki G, Teixeira-Neto R, Adkesson MJ, Hostnik ET, Haynes E, Allender MC. Detection of a novel herpesvirus associated with squamous cell carcinoma in a free-ranging Blanding's turtle. J Vet Diagn Invest 2021; 33:348-351. [PMID: 33491592 DOI: 10.1177/1040638721989302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
The spread of both infectious and noninfectious diseases through wildlife populations is of increasing concern. Neoplastic diseases are rarely associated with population-level impacts in wildlife; however, impacts on individual health can be severe and might reflect deteriorating environmental conditions. An adult male free-ranging Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) originally captured in 2005 and deemed healthy, was recaptured in 2018 with a 1 × 1.5 cm intra-oral broad-based right mandibular mass. An excisional biopsy was performed, and histopathology revealed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Consensus herpesvirus PCR identified a novel herpesvirus (proposed name Emydoidea herpesvirus 2 [EBHV-2]) within the tumor. EBHV-2 shares 85% sequence homology with Terrapene herpesvirus 2 (TerHV-2), a herpesvirus linked to fibropapillomas in eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina). Virus-associated fibropapillomas have been identified in multiple marine turtle species and have had debilitating effects on their populations, but to date, virus-associated SCCs are rarely reported.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kirsten E Andersson
- Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois-Urbana, IL
| | - Laura Adamovicz
- Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois-Urbana, IL.,Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois-Urbana, IL
| | - Lauren E Mumm
- Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois-Urbana, IL
| | - John M Winter
- Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois-Urbana, IL
| | - Gary Glowacki
- Lake County Forest Preserve District, Libertyville, IL
| | - Rachel Teixeira-Neto
- Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois-Urbana, IL
| | | | | | - Ellen Haynes
- Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois-Urbana, IL
| | - Matthew C Allender
- Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois-Urbana, IL.,Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL
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Vetere A, Simonini C, Casali S, Masi M, Selleri P, Nardini G. First report of oral squamous cell carcinoma in a green tree python (Morelia viridis). J Exot Pet Med 2020. [DOI: 10.1053/j.jepm.2020.08.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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