A novel herpesvirus from a wild-caught Madagascar spider tortoise shows evidence of host-viral coevolution with a duplication event in Durocryptodira

A novel herpesvirus from a wild-caught Madagascar spider tortoise shows evidence of host-viral coevolution with a duplication event in Durocryptodira

Herpesviruses can be significant reptile pathogens. Herpesviral infection in a wild-caught, male spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) under human care was detected during a routine wellness examination prior to transition between zoologic organizations. The tortoise had no clinical signs of illness....

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of veterinary diagnostic investigation Vol. 35; no. 5; pp. 554 - 558
Main Authors: Weldon, Polly V., Georoff, Timothy A., Hall, Natalie, Ossiboff, Robert J., Childress, April L., Wellehan, James F. X.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-09-2023
Subjects:
Alphaherpesvirinae
Animals
Brief Reports
Herpesviridae - genetics
Herpesviridae Infections - veterinary
Humans
Madagascar
Male
Phylogeny
Turtles
Madagascar
turtles
phylogeny
DNA viruses
Alphaherpesvirinae
spider tortoise
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Herpesviruses can be significant reptile pathogens. Herpesviral infection in a wild-caught, male spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) under human care was detected during a routine wellness examination prior to transition between zoologic organizations. The tortoise had no clinical signs of illness. Oral swabs obtained during a physical examination as part of pre-shipment risk mitigation for infectious disease were submitted for consensus herpesvirus PCR assay and sequencing. Based on comparative sequence analysis, the novel herpesvirus identified is a member of the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae. Studies of herpesviral phylogeny in chelonian species support branching patterns of turtle herpesviruses that closely mirror those of their hosts. The symmetry of these patterns is suggestive of close codivergence of turtle herpesviruses with their host species. The distribution of these viruses in both tortoises and emydids suggests a phylogenetic duplication event in the herpesviruses after host divergence of the Pleurodira and basal to the divergence of Americhelydia. Herpesviral infections have been documented to cause higher morbidity when introduced to aberrant host species, and significant consideration must be given to the presence of herpesviruses in the management of tortoise collections, particularly collections that include various species of testudines.
Bibliography:ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
content type line 23
ISSN:1040-6387
1943-4936
1943-4936
DOI:10.1177/10406387231186135