title: Identification of a novel herpesvirus from a California desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii).
abstract: Herpesviruses are significant pathogens of tortoises, causing upper respiratory tract disease and necrotizing stomatitis, with infections often associated with high mortality rates. Herpesvirus infection in a captive California desert tortoise (Gopherus agassizii) was detected by light microscopic observation of intranuclear inclusion bodies in various tissues followed by transmission electron microscopic observation of herpesvirus-like particles, and amplification of herpesvirus nucleic acid sequences using polymerase chain reaction. Using an indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, anti-tortoise herpesvirus antibodies were detected one month after initial onset of clinical signs. This novel herpesvirus is distinct from the previously described tortoise herpesvirus (tortoise herpesvirus-1, THV-1) sharing 83% sequence identity of 60 amino acids of a portion of the DNA polymerase gene and 79% sequence identity across 120 amino acids of a portion of the ribonucleotide reductase gene. Similar to THV-1, this novel herpesvirus, tortoise herpesvirus-2 (THV-2), also clusters with the alphaherpesviruses.
authors.affiliation: Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, P.O. Box 100126, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA. JohnsonA@mail.vetmed.ufl.edu
authors.forename: April J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: Allan P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Pessier
authors.forename: James F X
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Wellehan
authors.forename: Roseanne
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Elliott R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Jacobson
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006564:Herpesviridae / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods / Q000662:veterinary*; D016415:Sequence Alignment / Q000662:veterinary; D014059:Tongue / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D014426:Turtles / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral