Identification of a novel cetacean polyomavirus from a common dolphin (Delphinus delphis) with Tracheobronchitis.
case_report · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 23874559.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0068239 and PMC identifier 3707911.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
A female short-beaked common dolphin calf was found stranded in San Diego, California in October 2010, presenting with multifocal ulcerative lesions in the trachea and bronchi. Viral particles suggestive of polyomavirus were detected by EM, and subsequently confirmed by PCR and sequencing. Full genome sequencing (Ion Torrent) revealed a circular dsDNA genome of 5,159 bp that was shown to form a distinct lineage within the genus Polyomavirus based on phylogenetic analysis of the early and late transcriptomes. Viral infection and distribution in laryngeal mucosa was characterised using in-situ hybridisation, and apoptosis observed in the virus-infected region. These results demonstrate that polyomaviruses can be associated with respiratory disease in cetaceans, and expand our knowledge of their diversity and clinical significance in marine mammals.
Medical subject headings
- Common Dolphins
- Polyomaviridae
- Respiratory Tract Infections