Systematic Determination of Herpesvirus in Free-Ranging Cetaceans Stranded in the Western Mediterranean: Tissue Tropism and Associated Lesions
Artículo de investigación publicado en Viruses-Basel
28 de octubre de 2021
The monitoring of herpesvirus infection provides useful information when assessing marine mammals’ health. This paper shows the prevalence of herpesvirus infection (80.85%) in 47 cetaceans stranded on the coast of the Valencian Community, Spain. Of the 966 tissues evaluated, 121 tested positive when employing nested-PCR (12.53%). The largest proportion of herpesvirus-positive tissue samples was in the reproductive system, nervous system, and tegument. Herpesvirus was more prevalent in females, juveniles, and calves. More than half the DNA PCR positive tissues contained herpesvirus RNA, indicating the presence of actively replicating virus. This RNA was most frequently found in neonates. Fourteen unique sequences were identified. Most amplified sequences belonged to the Gammaherpesvirinae subfamily, but a greater variation was found in Alphaherpesvirinae sequences. This is the first report of systematic herpesvirus DNA and RNA determination in free-ranging cetaceans. Nine (19.14%) were infected with cetacean morbillivirus and all of them (100%) were coinfected with herpesvirus. Lesions similar to those caused by herpesvirus in other species were observed, mainly in the skin, upper digestive tract, genitalia, and central nervous system. Other lesions were also attributable to concomitant etiologies or were nonspecific. It is necessary to investigate the possible role of herpesvirus infection in those cases
Vargas-Castro I., Melero M., Crespo JL., Jimenez MA., Sierra E., Rubio-Guerri C., Arbelo M., Fernandez A., Garcia-Parraga D. y Sanchez-Vizcaino JM..
 | Servicio de Inmunología Viral y Medicina Preventiva (SUAT). Centro de Vigilancia Sanitaria Veterinaria (VISAVET). Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
| Departamento de Sanidad Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
 | Consejería de Sanidad. Comunidad de Madrid. |
 | Oceanogràfic. Ciudad de las Artes y las Ciencias. Generalitat Valenciana. |
| Departamento de Medicina y Cirugía Animal. Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad Complutense (UCM). |
 | Instituto Universitario de Sanidad Animal y Seguridad Alimentaria (IUSA). Facultad de Veterinaria. Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC). |
 | Universidad CEU Cardenal Herrera (CEU-UCH). |
Noticias relacionadas en otros medios:
- Herpesvirus en cetáceos, más extendido de lo que se piensa - diarioveterinario.com
