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Su JY, Li J, Que TC, Chen HL, Zeng Y. Detection and molecular epidemiology of ferlaviruses in farmed snakes with respiratory disease in Guangxi Province, China. J Vet Diagn Invest 2020; 32:429-434. [PMID: 32194003 DOI: 10.1177/1040638720911023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
We screened 104 snakes with respiratory disease, collected from 52 snake farms in Guangxi Province, China, for pathogens. Ferlaviruses were detected in 70 of 104 lung samples by reverse-transcription PCR; 34 of 52 of the snake farms were positive for ferlaviruses. No reovirus, adenovirus, sunshine virus, or nidovirus was detected in any of the snakes. We obtained 96 bacterial isolates from snake organs, of which the most commonly isolated species were Salmonella (18) and Proteus (16). Sequence analysis, based on 27 partial RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene (L) sequences, revealed that ferlaviruses from Guangxi and the known GenBank strains clustered together and formed 3 genogroups. The nucleotide and deduced amino acid homologies of ferlaviruses were 84.3-100% and 95.0-100% within groups, respectively, and 77.0-81.6% and 90.4-95.2% between groups, respectively. Ferlaviruses from Guangxi had close genetic relationships with the known GenBank strains. Our results indicate that ferlaviruses are common in snakes with respiratory disease on the farms of Guangxi that we sampled, and that ferlavirus molecular epidemiology is both diverse and complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jie-Yu Su
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Su, Chen, Zeng).,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Guangxi Veterinary Research Institute, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Li).,Terrestrial Wildlife Rescue and Epidemic Diseases Surveillance Center of Guangxi, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Que)
| | - Jun Li
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Su, Chen, Zeng).,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Guangxi Veterinary Research Institute, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Li).,Terrestrial Wildlife Rescue and Epidemic Diseases Surveillance Center of Guangxi, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Que)
| | - Teng-Cheng Que
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Su, Chen, Zeng).,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Guangxi Veterinary Research Institute, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Li).,Terrestrial Wildlife Rescue and Epidemic Diseases Surveillance Center of Guangxi, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Que)
| | - Hai-Lan Chen
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Su, Chen, Zeng).,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Guangxi Veterinary Research Institute, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Li).,Terrestrial Wildlife Rescue and Epidemic Diseases Surveillance Center of Guangxi, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Que)
| | - Yun Zeng
- College of Animal Science and Technology, Guangxi University, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Su, Chen, Zeng).,Guangxi Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Guangxi Veterinary Research Institute, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Li).,Terrestrial Wildlife Rescue and Epidemic Diseases Surveillance Center of Guangxi, Nanning, Guangxi, China (Que)
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Kolesnik E, Hyndman TH, Müller E, Pees M, Marschang RE. Comparison of three different PCR protocols for the detection of ferlaviruses. BMC Vet Res 2019; 15:281. [PMID: 31387580 PMCID: PMC6685236 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-019-2028-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2019] [Accepted: 07/29/2019] [Indexed: 01/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Ferlaviruses are important pathogens in snakes often associated with respiratory and neurological disease. The detection of ferlaviral RNA by PCR is considered to be the most reliable method for the diagnosis of infection. The PCRs that have been used most commonly for this purpose have not been properly assessed to determine their sensitivity, specificity and ability to detect the known genetic diversity of this group of viruses. The aim of this study was to compare three published PCR protocols so that a single method could be recommended to laboratories that perform this testing. Results Comparisons were carried out using cell culture isolates and tissues from snakes infected with specific virus genotypes. A single round PCR targeting a short segment of the viral polymerase (L) gene provided the highest sensitivity and specificity, and detected isolated ferlaviruses from all four described genogroups, as well as from tissues of infected snakes. Conclusion A broadly-reactive PCR for the detection of all known ferlaviruses was found to provide a good combination of detection limit, specificity and speed. Based on these criteria, this method is recommended for the diagnosis of ferlavirus infections. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s12917-019-2028-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Timothy H Hyndman
- School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Murdoch, Western Australia, 6150, Australia
| | - Elisabeth Müller
- Laboklin GmbH & Co. KG, Steubenstraße 4, 97688, Bad Kissingen, Germany
| | - Michael Pees
- Clinic for Birds and Reptiles, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 17, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
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Pees M, Schmidt V, Papp T, Gellért Á, Abbas M, Starck JM, Neul A, Marschang RE. Three genetically distinct ferlaviruses have varying effects on infected corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus). PLoS One 2019; 14:e0217164. [PMID: 31163032 PMCID: PMC6548425 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0217164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/06/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Ferlaviruses are important pathogens in snakes and other reptiles. They cause respiratory and neurological disease in infected animals and can cause severe disease outbreaks. Isolates from this genus can be divided into four genogroups–A, B, and C, as well as a more distantly related sister group, “tortoise”. Sequences from large portions (5.3 kb) of the genomes of a variety of ferlavirus isolates from genogroups A, B, and C, including the genes coding the surface glycoproteins F and HN as well as the L protein were determined and compared. In silico analyses of the glycoproteins of genogroup A, B, and C isolates were carried out. Three isolates representing these three genogroups were used in transmission studies with corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus), and clinical signs, gross and histopathology, electronmicroscopic changes in the lungs, and isolation of bacteria from the lungs were evaluated. Analysis of the sequences supported the previous categorization of ferlaviruses into four genogroups, and criteria for definition of ferlavirus genogroups and species were established based on sequence identities (80% resp. 90%). Analysis of the ferlavirus glycoprotein models showed parallels to corresponding regions of other paramyxoviruses. The transmission studies showed clear differences in the pathogenicities of the three virus isolates used. The genogroup B isolate was the most and the group A virus the least pathogenic. Reasons for these differences were not clear based on the differences in the putative structures of their respective glycoproteins, although e.g. residue and consequential structure variation of an extended cleavage site or changes in electrostatic charges at enzyme binding sites could play a role. The presence of bacteria in the lungs of the infected animals also clearly corresponded to increased pathogenicity. This study contributes to knowledge about the structure and phylogeny of ferlaviruses and lucidly demonstrates differences in pathogenicity between strains of different genogroups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Pees
- Department for Birds and Reptiles, University Teaching Hospital, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Volker Schmidt
- Department for Birds and Reptiles, University Teaching Hospital, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Tibor Papp
- Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Centre for Agricultural Research, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ákos Gellért
- Institute for Veterinary Medical Research, Centre for Agricultural Research, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Maha Abbas
- Institute for Environmental and Animal Hygiene, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany
| | | | - Annkatrin Neul
- Department for Birds and Reptiles, University Teaching Hospital, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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SEROPREVALENCE AND MOLECULAR CHARACTERIZATION OF FERLAVIRUS IN CAPTIVE VIPERS OF COSTA RICA. J Zoo Wildl Med 2017; 48:420-430. [DOI: 10.1638/2014-0200r4.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
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Anaconda paramyxovirus infection in an adult green anaconda after prolonged incubation: Pathological characterization and whole genome sequence analysis. INFECTION GENETICS AND EVOLUTION 2017; 51:239-244. [PMID: 28404483 DOI: 10.1016/j.meegid.2017.04.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2017] [Revised: 04/05/2017] [Accepted: 04/08/2017] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
From July 2011 to June 2012, 31 out of 33 green anaconda juveniles from an oceanarium in Hong Kong died over a 12-month period. These anacondas were progeny of a female anaconda purchased from Japan and added to the collection in May 2011. The juvenile anacondas were born in July 2011. A novel paramyxovirus, named anaconda paramyxovirus (AnaPV), was isolated from these affected juvenile anacondas. In July 2015, one of the remaining two anacondas, that survived the cluster of fatal infections, died at the age of four. Pathologically, both the death of the four-year-old anaconda and the previous deaths of the anaconda juveniles involved multiple, similar organs. However, the organ that was primarily affected in the juvenile anacondas that died in 2011 was the kidney, whereas the most remarkable lesions in the four-year-old anaconda involved the lungs. Granulomas previously observed in the juvenile anacondas with AnaPV infections were not obvious in the four-year-old anaconda. RT-PCR for the L gene of AnaPV was positive for the lungs, kidneys, ovary, spleen, liver, tracheal content and gall bladder of the four-year-old anaconda, with a median viral load of 1.32×106AnaPVRNAcopies/mg. Complete genome sequencing revealed that there were only 12-14 nucleotide changes in the AnaPV genome of the four-year old anaconda compared to those of the AnaPV found in anaconda juveniles in 2011/2012. Among these nucleotide changes, only four were non-synonymous mutations, with one in the N gene, one in the M gene and two in the HN gene. Both epidemiological and molecular data supported that the four-year-old green anaconda probably acquired the AnaPV from its mother or its siblings that died 3-4years ago, and its death is a result of an unprecedented extended incubation period or latency of AnaPV followed by a subsequent manifestation of clinical disease and death.
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Prpic J, Keros T, Balija ML, Forcic D, Jemersic L. First recorded case of paramyxovirus infection introduced into a healthy snake collection in Croatia. BMC Vet Res 2017; 13:95. [PMID: 28390412 PMCID: PMC5385035 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-017-1015-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/05/2016] [Accepted: 03/30/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background In the present study, we describe the first paramyxovirus infection in a snake collection in Croatia caused by an introduction of new snakes that were not previously tested and didn’t show any signs of disease. Case presentation In less than a month after introduction into a healthy colony, new snakes began to show respiratory symptoms (i.e. mouth opening, wheezing, etc.) and died within a month and a half after antibiotic therapy was applied. The same symptoms and a high mortality rate were then observed in in-contact snakes from other collections belonging to different snake families. Conclusions Two entries of new snakes in different time periods were recorded and recognized as possible sources of infection. We stress the need for veterinary health control and monitoring of snakes prior to transportation as well as implementing obligatory quarantine measures to minimize the risk of infection among newly established snake groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelena Prpic
- Croatian Veterinary Institute, Savska cesta 143, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.
| | - Tomislav Keros
- Croatian Veterinary Institute, Savska cesta 143, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Maja Lang Balija
- Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.,Center of Excellence for Viral Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Dubravko Forcic
- Centre for Research and Knowledge Transfer in Biotechnology, University of Zagreb, Rockefellerova 10, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia.,Center of Excellence for Viral Immunology and Vaccines, CERVirVac, Zagreb, Croatia
| | - Lorena Jemersic
- Croatian Veterinary Institute, Savska cesta 143, 10 000, Zagreb, Croatia
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Pees M, Neul A, Müller K, Schmidt V, Truyen U, Leinecker N, Marschang RE. Virus distribution and detection in corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) after experimental infection with three different ferlavirus strains. Vet Microbiol 2015; 182:213-22. [PMID: 26711050 DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2015.11.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2015] [Revised: 11/11/2015] [Accepted: 11/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Ferlaviruses are important pathogens of snakes. However, factors influencing the pathogenicity of individual isolates as well as optimal protocols for virus detection in tissues of infected snakes have been insufficiently studied. The objectives of this study were to compare virus detection using previously described PCR and cell culture protocols following infection with three genetically distinct ferlaviruses in corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) as a model species. Groups of 12 corn snakes were each inoculated intratracheally with a genogroup A, B, or C ferlavirus. Tracheal washes and cloacal swabs were tested for virus shedding on days 16 and 28. Three animals were each euthanized on days 4, 16, 28, and 49. Beside immunohistochemistry of lung tissue, several organs (lung, intestine, pancreas, kidney, brain) were tested for the presence of ferlavirus. Distinct differences were noted in the pathogenicity of the three viruses, with a genotype B isolate causing the greatest pathology. PCR was more sensitive in comparison to cell culture, but results varied depending on the tissues. Ferlaviruses spread rapidly into the tissues, including the brain. Overall average detection rate was 72%, and was highest on day 16. There were differences between the groups, with the most virulent strain causing 100% positive samples at the end of the study. Some snakes were able to clear the infection. Shedding via cloaca was seen only on day 28. For ante-mortem sampling, a tracheal wash sample is recommended, for post mortem diagnosis, a pooled organ sample should be tested.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Pees
- Clinic for Birds and Reptiles, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 17, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Annkatrin Neul
- Clinic for Birds and Reptiles, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 17, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Kristin Müller
- Institute of Pathology, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Volker Schmidt
- Clinic for Birds and Reptiles, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 17, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Uwe Truyen
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Nadja Leinecker
- Institute of Animal Hygiene and Veterinary Public Health, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 33, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
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Fatal systemic necrotizing infections associated with a novel paramyxovirus, anaconda paramyxovirus, in green anaconda juveniles. J Clin Microbiol 2014; 52:3614-23. [PMID: 25078906 DOI: 10.1128/jcm.01653-14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Beginning in July 2011, 31 green anaconda (Eunectes murinus) juveniles from an oceanarium in Hong Kong died over a 12-month period. Necropsy revealed at least two of the following features in 23 necropsies: dermatitis, severe pan-nephritis, and/or severe systemic multiorgan necrotizing inflammation. Histopathological examination revealed severe necrotizing inflammation in various organs, most prominently the kidneys. Electron microscopic examination of primary tissues revealed intralesional accumulations of viral nucleocapsids with diameters of 10 to 14 nm, typical of paramyxoviruses. Reverse transcription (RT)-PCR results were positive for paramyxovirus (viral loads of 2.33 × 10(4) to 1.05 × 10(8) copies/mg tissue) in specimens from anaconda juveniles that died but negative in specimens from the two anaconda juveniles and anaconda mother that survived. None of the other snakes in the park was moribund, and RT-PCR results for surveillance samples collected from other snakes were negative. The virus was isolated from BHK21 cells, causing cytopathic effects with syncytial formation. The virus could also replicate in 25 of 27 cell lines of various origins, in line with its capability for infecting various organs. Electron microscopy with cell culture material revealed enveloped virus with the typical "herringbone" appearance of helical nucleocapsids in paramyxoviruses. Complete genome sequencing of five isolates confirmed that the infections originated from the same clone. Comparative genomic and phylogenetic analyses and mRNA editing experiments revealed a novel paramyxovirus in the genus Ferlavirus, named anaconda paramyxovirus, with a typical Ferlavirus genomic organization of 3'-N-U-P/V/I-M-F-HN-L-5'. Epidemiological and genomic analyses suggested that the anaconda juveniles acquired the virus perinatally from the anaconda mother rather than from other reptiles in the park, with subsequent interanaconda juvenile transmission.
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