Detection of nidoviruses in live pythons and boas

Summary

Objectives: Nidoviruses have recently been described as a putative cause of severe respiratory disease in pythons in the USA and Europe. The objective of this study was to establish the use of a conventional PCR for the detection of nidoviruses in samples from live animals and to extend the list of susceptible species. Materials and methods: A PCR targeting a portion of ORF1a of python nidoviruses was used to detect nidoviruses in diagnostic samples from live boas and pythons. A total of 95 pythons, 84 boas and 22 snakes of unknown species were included in the study. Samples tested included oral swabs and whole blood. Results: Nidoviruses were detected in 27.4% of the pythons and 2.4% of the boas tested. They were most commonly detected in ball pythons (Python [P.] regius) and Indian rock pythons (P. molurus), but were also detected for the first time in other python species, including Morelia spp. and Boa constrictor. Oral swabs were most commonly tested positive. Conclusion: The PCR described here can be used for the detection of nidoviruses in oral swabs from live snakes. These viruses appear to be relatively common among snakes in captivity in Europe and screening for these viruses should be considered in the clinical work-up. Clinical relevance: Nidoviruses are believed to be an important cause of respiratory disease in pythons, but can also infect boas. Detection of these viruses in live animals is now possible and can be of interest both in diseased animals as well as in quarantine situations.

Keywords

PCR - coronavirus - torovirus - snake - Boa constrictor - reptile - Morelia

• Literatur

• 1 Bodewes R, Lempp C, Schürch AC, Habierski A, Hahn K, Lamers M, von Dörnberg K, Wohlsein P, Drexler JF, Haagmans BL, Smits SL, Baumgärtner W, Osterhaus AD. Novel divergent nidovirus in a python with pneumonia. J Gen Virol 2014; 95: 2480-2485.
• 2 Edgar RC. MUSCLE: multiple sequence alignment with high accuracy and high throughput. Nucleic Acids Res 2004; 32: 1792-1797.
• 3 Huelsenbeck JP, Ronquist F. MRBAYES: Bayesian inference of phylogenetic trees. Bioinformatics 2001; 17: 754-755.
• 4 International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV). http://www.ict vonline.org/virusTaxonomy.asp Accessed March 1, 2016.
• 5 Murray MJ. Pneumonia and lower respiratory tract disease. In: Reptile Medicine and Surgery. 2nd edn.. Mader DR. ed. St. Louis, Missouri: Saunders Elsevier; 2008: 865-877.
• 6 Pees M, Neul A, Müller K, Schmidt V, Truyen U, Leineceker N, Marschang RE. Virus distribution and detection in corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus) after experimental infection with three different ferlavirus strains. Vet Microbiol 2016; 182: 213-222.
• 7 Schmidt V, Marschang RE, Abbas MD, Ball I, Szabo I, Helmuth R, Plenz B, Spergser J, Pees M. Detection of pathogens in Boidae and Pythonidae with and without respiratory disease. Vet Rec 2013; 17: 236.
• 8 Stark JM, Weimer I, Aupperle H, Müller K, Marschang RE, Kiefer I, Pees M. Morphological pulmonary diffusion capacity for oxygen of Burmese pythons (Python molurus): a comparison of animals in healthy condition and with different pulmonary infections. J Comp Pathol 2015; 153: 333-351.
• 9 Stenglein MD, Sanders C, Kistler AL, Ruby JG, Franco JY, Reavill DR, Dunker F, Derisi JL. Identification, characterization, and in vitro culture of highly divergent arenaviruses from boa constrictors and annulated tree boas: candidate etiological agents for snake inclusion body disease. MBio. 2012 3. e00180-12 doi:
• 10 Stenglein MD, Jacobson ER, Wozniak EJ, Wellehan JF, Kincaid A, Gordon M, Porter BF, Baumgartner W, Stahl S, Kelley K, Towner JS, DeRisi JL. Ball python nidovirus: a candidate etiologic agent for severe respiratory disease in Python regius. MBio. 2014 5. e01484-14 doi:
• 11 Tamura K, Stecher G, Peterson D, Filipski A, Kumar S. MEGA6: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis version 6.0. Molecular Biology and Evolution 2013; 30: 2725-2729.
• 12 Uccellini L, Ossiboff RJ, de Matos RE, Morrisey JK, Petrosov A, Navarrete-Macias I, Jain K, Hicks AL, Buckles EL, Tokarz R, McAloose D, Lipkin WI. Identification of a novel nidovirus in an outbreak of fatal respiratory disease in ball pythons (Python regius). Virol J 2014; 11: 144.