title: Three novel herpesviruses associated with stomatitis in Sudan plated lizards (Gerrhosaurus major) and a black-lined plated lizard (Gerrhosaurus nigrolineatus).
abstract: Glossal stomatitis was observed in a Sudan plated lizard (Gerrhosaurus major) with severe dyspnea. On necropsy, intranuclear inclusion bodies were seen in the periglottal lingual epithelium. Labial stomatitis was seen in a second Sudan plated lizard and a black-lined plated lizard (G. nigrolineatus). Degenerate polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers targeting a conserved region of herpesvirus DNA-dependent DNA polymerase gene were used to amplify products from lesions from each lizard. Nucleotide sequencing of the PCR products showed that the sequence from each lizard was unique. Phylogenetic and comparative sequence analyses suggest that these viruses are novel members of the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae, and they are here termed gerrhosaurid herpesviruses 1-3. Results of our analyses suggest that the genus Gerrhosaurus can be infected by these novel herpesviruses.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Microbiology and Veterinary Pathobiology, and Biomedical Genomics Center, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108, USA.
authors.forename: James F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wellehan
authors.forename: Donald K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.forename: Ling-ling
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Vivek
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kapur
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology; D008116:Lizards / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D016415:Sequence Alignment / Q000662:veterinary; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid; D013280:Stomatitis / Q000662:veterinary* / Q000821:virology
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral