title: A novel gammaherpesvirus associated with genital lesions in a Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris).
abstract: An adult male Blainville's beaked whale (Mesoplodon densirostris) was found stranded on the Atlantic coast of the USA on 28 January 2004. Necropsy revealed a focal papilloma-like penile lesion, the cells from which revealed single 4-6 microm basophilic intranuclear inclusions. Total DNA extracted from lesion material was tested using a pan-herpes-virus PCR assay that targets the DNA polymerase gene and found to be positive. When the amplified DNA fragment was cloned, sequenced, and compared to GenBank-deposited herpesvirus DNA polymerase sequences, the detected virus was determined to be a distinct member of the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily of herpesviruses. This new virus, tentatively named Ziphiid herpesvirus type 1, was associated with but not determined to be the cause of genital disease in the Blainville's beaked whale.
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA. jsaliki@uga.edu
authors.forename: Jeremiah T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Saliki
authors.forename: Emily J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: David S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Rotstein
authors.forename: Shannon L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Caseltine
authors.forename: D Ann
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Pabst
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: McLellan
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Govett
authors.forename: Craig
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Harms
authors.forename: Kara A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Smolarek
authors.forename: Carlos H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Romero
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis*; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005784:Gene Amplification; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary*; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D014907:Whales / Q000821:virology*
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral