Gammaherpesvirus infection in a free-ranging eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus).
A gammaherpesvirus was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in ocular, nasal and oropharyngeal swab samples collected from an adult free-ranging male eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) with clinical signs of severe respiratory disease. This is the first time a gammaherpesvirus has been detected in a free-ranging macropod in Australia. The nucleotide sequence of a conserved region of the DNA polymerase gene of the detected virus showed a high degree of identity to a gammaherpesvirus recently detected in a zoological collection of eastern grey kangaroos in North America. The detection of this gammaherpesvirus in a free-ranging, native eastern grey kangaroo provides evidence that this species is a natural host.
Help for Wildlife, Coldstream, Victoria, Australia. bbec_vet@hotmail.com
R S
RS
Wilcox
P
P
Vaz
N P
NP
Ficorilli
P L
PL
Whiteley
C R
CR
Wilks
J M
JM
Devlin
D000818:Animals; D000835:Animals, Wild / Q000821:virology; D018142:Gammaherpesvirinae / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006566:Herpesviridae Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000662:veterinary*; D007614:Macropodidae / Q000821:virology*; D008297:Male; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000662:veterinary; D014739:Victoria / Q000453:epidemiology