Identification and Characterization of Two Novel Viruses in Ocular Infections in Reindeer

• Published in: PLoS ONE
• Main Authors: Smits, Saskia, Schapendonk, Claudia, Leeuwen, Marije, Kuiken, Thijs, Bodewes, Rogier, Victor, Stalinraj, Haagmans, Bart, Das Neves, CG, Tryland, M, Osterhaus, Ab
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2013
• Subjects: Norway; Rangifer tarandus
• Online Access: https://pure.eur.nl/en/publications/054a3568-90c2-4901-bef5-d3eef9b1ab4c; https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0069711; https://pure.eur.nl/ws/files/47529869/journal.pone.0069711.pdf; http://hdl.handle.net/1765/70524

A thorough understanding of virus diversity in wildlife provides epidemiological baseline information about pathogens. In this study, eye swab samples were obtained from semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Norway during an outbreak of infectious eye disease, possibly a very early stage of infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC). Large scale molecular virus screening, based on host nucleic acid depletion, sequence-independent amplification and next-generation sequencing of partially purified viral nucleic acid, revealed the presence of a new papillomavirus in 2 out of 8 eye swab samples and a new betaherpesvirus in 3 out of 8 eye swab samples collected from animals with clinical signs and not in similar samples in 9 animals without clinical signs. Whether either virus was responsible for causing the clinical signs or in any respect was associated to the disease condition remains to be determined.