Detection and phylogenetic analysis of a new adenoviral polymerase gene in reptiles in Korea

Abstract

Over a period of 7 years (2004-2011), samples from 34 diseased reptiles provided by local governments, zoos, and pet shops were tested for viral infection. Animals were diagnosed based on clinical signs, including loss of appetite, diarrhea, rhinorrhea, and unexpected sudden death. Most of the exotic animals had gastrointestinal problems, such as mucosal redness and ulcers, while the native animals had no clinical symptoms. Viral sequences were found in seven animals. Retroviral genes were amplified from samples from five Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus), an adenovirus was detected in a panther chameleon (Furcifer pardalis), and an adenovirus and a paramyxovirus were detected in a tropical girdled lizard (Cordylus tropidosternum). Phylogenetic analysis of retroviruses and paramyxoviruses showed the highest sequence identity to both a Python molurus endogenous retrovirus and a Python curtus endogenous retrovirus and to a lizard isolate, respectively. Partial sequencing of an adenoviral DNA polymerase gene from the lizard isolate suggested that the corresponding virus was a novel isolate different from the reference strain (accession no. AY576677.1). The virus was not isolated but was detected, using molecular genetic techniques, in a lizard raised in a pet shop. This animal was also coinfected with a paramyxovirus.

Detection and phylogenetic analysis of adenoviruses occurring in a single anole species

“…In reptiles, pet trade husbandry has allowed for the study of viruses infecting controlled captive populations, providing to a robust understanding of several diseases in captivity (Raymond et al, 2003; Garner et al, 2008; Abbas et al, 2011; Hyndman & Shilton, 2011; Doneley, Buckle & Hulse, 2014; Bak, Yeonsook & Woo, 2018). However, field-based studies of these pathogens have lagged.…”

Adenoviruses in free-ranging Australian bearded dragons (Pogona spp.)

“…There is evidence for the co-evolution of adenoviruses with their hosts (Davison et al, 2003) and it seems likely that the atadenoviruses originated in squamates (Harrach, 2000;Farkas et al, 2002;Wellehan et al, 2004;Farkas et al, 2008;Pénzes et al, 2009). Currently, two species of atadenoviruses found in reptiles have been classified by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV, 2018): Snake atadenovirus A, sometimes referred to as snake adenovirus 1 (Farkas et al, 2002), and Lizard atadenovirus A, sometimes referred to as lizard adenovirus 2 (Bak et al, 2018) or helodermatid adenovirus 2 (Ball et al, 2014). The distinction between "snake" and "lizard" adenoviruses is an arbitrary one as lizards are paraphyletic without the inclusion of snakes (Wellehan, 2011).…”

Peer Review #1 of "Detection and phylogenetic analysis of adenoviruses occurring in a single anole species (v0.1)"

“…In reptiles, pet trade husbandry has allowed for the study of viruses infecting controlled captive populations, providing to a robust understanding of several diseases in captivity (e.g. Raymond et al 2003;Garner et al 2008;Abbas et al 2011;Hyndman and Shilton 2011;Doneley et al 2014;Bak et al 2018). However, field-based studies of these pathogens have lagged.…”