Detection and multigenic characterization of a herpesvirus associated with malignant catarrhal fever in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from Missouri.
Between 1998 and 2001, tissues from four captive white-tailed deer were observed to have histologic lesions of systemic lymphocytic vasculitis. These lesions suggested malignant catarrhal fever, although epizootic hemorrhagic disease and bluetongue were included in the differential diagnosis. Initial diagnostic efforts, including virus isolation and reverse transcription-PCR for epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus and bluetongue virus, failed to identify an etiologic agent. However, consensus primer PCR targeted to the herpesvirus DNA polymerase gene detected viral genomic DNA in each of these four cases. Nucleotide sequence analysis of the amplified product demonstrated that the detected virus was identical over the compared region to the recently described malignant catarrhal fever virus of white-tailed deer (H. Li, N. Dyer, J. Keller, and T. B. Crawford, J. Clin. Microbiol. 38:1313-1318, 2000). Additional nucleotide sequencing of both the DNA polymerase gene and DNA packaging gene followed by phylogenetic analysis solidified this newly recognized herpesvirus as a member of the Gammaherpesvirinae and suggests that this virus, along with ovine herpesvirus 2, alcelaphine herpesvirus 1, alcelaphine herpesvirus 2 and caprine herpesvirus 2, may be part of a separate clade within this subfamily.
Kleiboeker
Steven B
SB
Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri 65211, USA. KleiboekerS@Missouri.edu
Miller
Margaret A
MA
Schommer
Susan K
SK
Ramos-Vara
Jose A
JA
Boucher
Magalie
M
Turnquist
Susan E
SE
D000818:Animals; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase / Q000235:genetics*; D003670:Deer; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D008304:Malignant Catarrh / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology*; D008923:Missouri; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004259:DNA-Directed DNA Polymerase