title: Identification of a novel nidovirus in an outbreak of fatal respiratory disease in ball pythons (Python regius).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Respiratory infections are important causes of morbidity and mortality in reptiles; however, the causative agents are only infrequently identified.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Pneumonia, tracheitis and esophagitis were reported in a collection of ball pythons (Python regius). Eight of 12 snakes had evidence of bacterial pneumonia. High-throughput sequencing of total extracted nucleic acids from lung, esophagus and spleen revealed a novel nidovirus. PCR indicated the presence of viral RNA in lung, trachea, esophagus, liver, and spleen. In situ hybridization confirmed the presence of intracellular, intracytoplasmic viral nucleic acids in the lungs of infected snakes. Phylogenetic analysis based on a 1,136 amino acid segment of the polyprotein suggests that this virus may represent a new species in the subfamily Torovirinae.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report of a novel nidovirus in ball pythons may provide insight into the pathogenesis of respiratory disease in this species and enhances our knowledge of the diversity of nidoviruses.
authors.forename: Lorenzo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Uccellini
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ossiboff
authors.forename: Ricardo E C
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: de Matos
authors.forename: James K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Morrisey
authors.forename: Alexandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Petrosov
authors.forename: Isamara
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Navarrete-Macias
authors.forename: Komal
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jain
authors.forename: Allison L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: Elizabeth L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Buckles
authors.forename: Rafal
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tokarz
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McAloose
authors.affiliation: Center for Infection and Immunity, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA. wil2001@columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Walter Ian
authors.initials: WI
authors.lastname: Lipkin
mesh_terms: D000820:Animal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000821:virology; D000818:Animals; D017821:Boidae / Q000821:virology*; D004196:Disease Outbreaks; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D028381:Nidovirales / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics*; D030341:Nidovirales Infections / Q000662:veterinary*; D010802:Phylogeny; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D012140:Respiratory Tract Diseases / Q000662:veterinary*; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral
references.citation: Adv Exp Med Biol. 1993;342:235-44
references.pmid: 8209737
references.citation: Virus Res. 2008 Sep;136(1-2):157-65
references.pmid: 18582978
references.citation: Arch Virol. 1997;142(3):629-33
references.pmid: 9349308
references.citation: Viruses. 2011 Nov;3(11):2087-126
references.pmid: 22163336
references.citation: Vet Pathol. 1997 Sep;34(5):450-9
references.pmid: 9381656
references.citation: mBio. 2011 Jun 14;2(3):e00077-11
references.pmid: 21673192
references.citation: Vet Pathol. 1990 May;27(3):210-2
references.pmid: 2162092
references.citation: Zentralbl Veterinarmed B. 1997 Aug;44(6):329-40
references.pmid: 9283284
references.citation: J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1986 Nov 1;189(9):1020-3
references.pmid: 2851569
references.citation: J Gen Virol. 2002 Apr;83(Pt 4):927-935
references.pmid: 11907343
references.citation: J Vet Diagn Invest. 2004 Sep;16(5):442-8
references.pmid: 15460330
references.citation: Virus Res. 1999 Sep;63(1-2):135-41
references.pmid: 10509725
references.citation: Vet Rec. 2001 Jul 7;149(1):21-3
references.pmid: 11486771
references.citation: J Wildl Dis. 1996 Oct;32(4):682-6
references.pmid: 9359071
references.citation: J Gen Virol. 2000 Jun;81(Pt 6):1473-84
references.pmid: 10811931
references.citation: Vet Res. 2007 Mar-Apr;38(2):319-35
references.pmid: 17296159
references.citation: J Gen Virol. 2006 Jun;87(Pt 6):1403-1421
references.pmid: 16690906
references.citation: J Gen Virol. 2012 Jun;93(Pt 6):1247-1252
references.pmid: 22422065
references.citation: Mol Biol Evol. 2011 Oct;28(10):2731-9
references.pmid: 21546353
references.citation: Arch Virol. 2012 Aug;157(8):1623-8
references.pmid: 22527862
references.citation: J Vet Diagn Invest. 1995 Jan;7(1):72-7
references.pmid: 7779968