Antibodies to phocine herpesvirus-1 are common in North American harbor seals (Phoca vitulina).
Phocine herpesvirus-1 (PhHV-1) has been associated with morbidity and high mortality in neonatal harbor seals (Phoca vitulina) along the Pacific coast of California (USA) and in northern Europe. Seals dying with PhHV-1 associated disease in California primarily have histopathologic evidence of adrenal necrosis or adrenalitis with herpesviral inclusion bodies. Little is known about prevalence of exposure to PhHV-1, modes of disease transmission, and viral pathogenesis in free-ranging harbor seal populations. To evaluate the prevalence in North America, 866 serum samples collected between 1994 and 2002 from harbor seals captured or stranded on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America were assayed by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for evidence of PhHV-1 exposure. Samples from three harbor seal age classes (pre-weaned, weaned, and subadults/adults) were obtained from each of four regions to compare exposure among sex, age class, and region. We found increasing prevalence with age as 37.5% of pre-weaned pups, 87.6% of weaned pups, and 99.0% of subadults and adults were seropositive. When accounting for age, no associations between seropositivity and sex or location of harbor seals were detected. These data indicate that PhHV-1 is endemic in the harbor seal populations of North America.
Goldstein
Tracey
T
Wildlife Health Center, School of Veterinary Medicine, Laboratory for Marine Mammal Immunology, Department of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, One Shields Ave, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA. wildlifehealth@ucdavis.edu
Gulland
Frances M D
FM
Aldridge
Brian M
BM
Harvey
James T
JT
Rowles
Teri
T
Lambourn
Dyanna M
DM
Jeffries
Steven J
SJ
Measures
Lena
L
Yochem
Pamela K
PK
Stewart
Brent S
BS
Small
Robert J
RJ
King
Donald P
DP
Stott
Jeffrey L
JL
Mazet
Jonna A
JA
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D000833:Animals, Suckling; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000662:veterinary; D005260:Female; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D009656:North America / Q000453:epidemiology; D046048:Seals, Earless / Q000821:virology*; D016036:Seroepidemiologic Studies; D018140:Varicellovirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification
D000914:Antibodies, Viral