In vitro isolation and molecular identification of reptarenavirus in Malaysia

Abba, Yusuf; Hassim, Hasliza Abu; Hamzah, Hazilawati; Ibrahim, Omar Emad; Ilyasu, Yusuf; Bande, Faruku; Lila, Mohd Azmi Mohd; Noordin, M. M.

doi:10.1007/s11262-016-1345-7

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…A reptilian arenavirus may be an appealing candidate, as some reptarenaviruses can infect mammalian cells in laboratory settings ( Hetzel et al. 2013 ; Hepojoki, Kipar, et al 2015 ; Abba 2016 ). However, data on the origin, diversity, and geographic range of reptarenaviruses and hartmaniviruses are presently missing and these viruses have only been detected in captive snakes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient Evolution of Mammarenaviruses: Adaptation via Changes in the L Protein and No Evidence for Host–Virus Codivergence

Forni

Pontremoli

Clerici

et al. 2018

Genome Biology and Evolution

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The Mammarenavirus genus includes several pathogenic species of rodent-borne viruses. Old World (OW) mammarenaviruses infect rodents in the Murinae subfamily and are mainly transmitted in Africa and Asia; New World (NW) mammarenaviruses are found in rodents of the Cricetidae subfamily in the Americas. We applied a selection-informed method to estimate that OW and NW mammarenaviruses diverged less than ∼45,000 years ago (ya). By incorporating phylogeographic inference, we show that NW mammarenaviruses emerged in the Latin America-Caribbean region ∼41,400–3,300 ya, whereas OW mammarenaviruses originated ∼23,100–1,880 ya, most likely in Southern Africa. Cophylogenetic analysis indicated that cospeciation did not contribute significantly to mammarenavirus–host associations. Finally, we show that extremely strong selective pressure on the viral polymerase accompanied the speciation of NW viruses. These data suggest that the evolutionary history of mammarenaviruses was not driven by codivergence with their hosts. The viral polymerase should be regarded as a major determinant of mammarenavirus adaptation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ancient Evolution of Mammarenaviruses: Adaptation via Changes in the L Protein and No Evidence for Host–Virus Codivergence

Forni

Pontremoli

Clerici

et al. 2018

Genome Biology and Evolution

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“…One possibly distinguishing feature of reptarenaviruses is that simultaneous infection by multiple viruses is common in captive snakes ( 14 – 16 ). Whether this is true in wild snakes is unclear, and in fact, there is no published information about the natural hosts of reptarenaviruses, although IBD has been described in a number of captive snakes of a number of species worldwide, and reptarenaviruses have been identified in snakes on multiple continents ( 2 , 6 , 8 – 10 , 14 , 17 – 19 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Differential Disease Susceptibilities in Experimentally Reptarenavirus-Infected Boa Constrictors and Ball Pythons

Stenglein

Guzmán

Garcia

et al. 2017

J Virol

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Inclusion body disease (IBD) is an infectious disease originally described in captive snakes. It has traditionally been diagnosed by the presence of large eosinophilic cytoplasmic inclusions and is associated with neurological, gastrointestinal, and lymphoproliferative disorders. Previously, we identified and established a culture system for a novel lineage of arenaviruses isolated from boa constrictors diagnosed with IBD. Although ample circumstantial evidence suggested that these viruses, now known as reptarenaviruses, cause IBD, there has been no formal demonstration of disease causality since their discovery. We therefore conducted a long-term challenge experiment to test the hypothesis that reptarenaviruses cause IBD. We infected boa constrictors and ball pythons by cardiac injection of purified virus. We monitored the progression of viral growth in tissues, blood, and environmental samples. Infection produced dramatically different disease outcomes in snakes of the two species. Ball pythons infected with Golden Gate virus (GoGV) and with another reptarenavirus displayed severe neurological signs within 2 months, and viral replication was detected only in central nervous system tissues. In contrast, GoGV-infected boa constrictors remained free of clinical signs for 2 years, despite high viral loads and the accumulation of large intracellular inclusions in multiple tissues, including the brain. Inflammation was associated with infection in ball pythons but not in boa constrictors. Thus, reptarenavirus infection produces inclusions and inclusion body disease, although inclusions per se are neither necessarily associated with nor required for disease. Although the natural distribution of reptarenaviruses has yet to be described, the different outcomes of infection may reflect differences in geographical origin.IMPORTANCE New DNA sequencing technologies have made it easier than ever to identify the sequences of microorganisms in diseased tissues, i.e., to identify organisms that appear to cause disease, but to be certain that a candidate pathogen actually causes disease, it is necessary to provide additional evidence of causality. We have done this to demonstrate that reptarenaviruses cause inclusion body disease (IBD), a serious transmissible disease of snakes. We infected boa constrictors and ball pythons with purified reptarenavirus. Ball pythons fell ill within 2 months of infection and displayed signs of neurological disease typical of IBD. In contrast, boa constrictors remained healthy over 2 years, despite high levels of virus throughout their bodies. This difference matches previous reports that pythons are more susceptible to IBD than boas and could reflect the possibility that boas are natural hosts of these viruses in the wild.

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“…With the availability of diagnostic modalities such as RT‐PCR, investigations can now explore the prevalence and role of these viruses in situations where there is limited or no evidence of overt disease. With the recent discovery of reptarenaviruses in south‐east Asia, it is timely to investigate reptarenaviruses in Australia. We present the results of screening apparently healthy snakes from an Australian zoological collection for reptarenaviruses by RT‐PCR and describe the challenges in detecting this group of viruses in these animals.…”

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Reptarenaviruses in apparently healthy snakes in an Australian zoological collection

et al. 2019

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Background Inclusion body disease (IBD) is a disease of snakes with a global distribution and has recently been shown to be caused by reptarenaviruses. Testing for this group of viruses in asymptomatic snakes allows the association between infection and disease to be further elucidated.Methods A reptarenavirus was detected by RT-PCR in a reticulated python (Malayopython reticulatus) from an Australian zoological collection that was open-mouth breathing and had erythematous oral mucosa. Another 27 pythons, 4 elapids, 2 colubrids and 2 boas from this collection were then screened. From these animals, swabs, whole blood and/or tissue were tested for reptarenaviruses by RT-PCR. Additionally, blood films from 10 snakes were examined by light microscopy for the presence of inclusion bodies. The majority of samples were collected over a 484-day period.Results A total of 8 animals were RT-PCR-positive (8/36 = 22.2%): 6 were pythons, 1 was a corn snake (Pantherophis guttatus) and 1 was a Madagascar tree boa (Sanzinia madagascariensis). From them, 57 samples were collected, but only one from each animal was RT-PCR-positive (8/57 = 14.0%). From all 36 animals in this study, 8/182 samples were RT-PCR-positive (4.4%). Inclusion bodies were not recognised in any of the blood films. Only the reticulated python showed signs of illness, which improved without any further intervention. All other RT-PCRpositive snakes were apparently healthy throughout the duration of the study.Conclusion This study showed a weak association between the presence of reptarenaviruses and disease. Testing serially collected swab and whole-blood samples increased the number of animals in which reptarenaviruses were detected.

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In vitro isolation and molecular identification of reptarenavirus in Malaysia

Cited by 13 publications

References 15 publications

Ancient Evolution of Mammarenaviruses: Adaptation via Changes in the L Protein and No Evidence for Host–Virus Codivergence

Ancient Evolution of Mammarenaviruses: Adaptation via Changes in the L Protein and No Evidence for Host–Virus Codivergence

Differential Disease Susceptibilities in Experimentally Reptarenavirus-Infected Boa Constrictors and Ball Pythons

Reptarenaviruses in apparently healthy snakes in an Australian zoological collection

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