title: Pathology, isolation and molecular characterisation of a ranavirus from the common midwife toad Alytes obstetricans on the Iberian Peninsula.
abstract: We describe the pathology, isolation and characterisation of a virus responsible for an outbreak of a systemic haemorrhagic disease causing high mortality in tadpoles of the common midwife toad Alytes obstetricans in the 'Picos de Europa' National Park in northern Spain. The virus, provisionally designated as the common midwife toad virus (CMTV), was isolated from homogenates of visceral tissue from diseased toad tadpoles following inoculation on epithelioma papulosum cyprini (EPC) cells. Molecular characterisation of the virus, including sequence analysis of the DNA polymerase and major capsid protein genes, showed that the isolated virus was a ranavirus with marked sequence identity to other members of the genus Ranavirus. A rabbit antiserum raised against purified virions was prepared and used to definitively demonstrate systemic distribution of the virus in diseased tadpoles, indicating that the isolated virus was the primary pathogen.
authors.affiliation: SERIDA, Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario, Laboratorio de Sanidad Animal, 33299 Jove, Gijón, Spain. abalseiro@serida.org
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Balseiro
authors.forename: Kevin P
authors.initials: KP
authors.lastname: Dalton
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: del Cerro
authors.forename: Isabel
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Marquez
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Cunningham
authors.forename: Francisco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Parra
authors.forename: José M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Prieto
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Casais
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002025:Bufonidae / Q000821:virology*; D004266:DNA Virus Infections / Q000473:pathology / Q000662:veterinary / Q000821:virology; D007814:Larva / Q000821:virology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010802:Phylogeny; D017995:Ranavirus / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D013030:Spain; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D014764:Viral Proteins