Goodwin Andrew E, Merry Gwenn E
University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Aquaculture/Fisheries Center, 1200 N. University Dr., Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71601, USA.
Dis Aquat Organ. 2011 May 9;94(3):173-7. doi: 10.3354/dao02328.
With the emergence of viral hemorrhagic septicemia virus (VHSV) strain IVb in the Great Lakes of North America, hatchery managers have become concerned that this important pathogen could be transmitted by animals other than fish. Turtles are likely candidates because they are poikilotherms that feed on dead fish, but there are very few reports of rhabdovirus infections in reptiles and no reports of the fish rhabdoviruses in animals other than teleosts. We injected common snapping turtles Chelydra serpentine and red-eared sliders Trachemys scripta elegans intraperitoneally with 10(4) median tissue culture infectious dose (TCID50) of VHSV-IVb and 21 d later were able to detect the virus by quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase PCR (qrt-RTPCR) in pools of kidney, liver, and spleen. In a second experiment, snapping turtles, red-eared sliders, yellow-bellied sliders T. scripta scripta, and northern map turtles Grapetemys geographica at 14 degrees C were allowed to feed on tissues from bluegill dying of VHSV IVb disease. Turtle kidney, spleen, and brain pools were not positive by qrt-RTPCR on Day 3 post feeding, but were positive on Days 10 and 20. Map turtles on Day 20 post-feeding were positive by both qrt-RTPCR and by cell culture. Our work shows that turtles that consume infected fish are a possible vector for VHSV IVb, and that the fish rhabdoviruses may have a broader host range than previously suspected.
随着北美五大湖出现病毒性出血性败血症病毒（VHSV）IVb株，孵化场管理人员开始担心这种重要病原体可能会通过鱼类以外的动物传播。海龟很可能是传播媒介，因为它们是变温动物，以死鱼为食，但关于爬行动物感染弹状病毒的报道非常少，且除硬骨鱼外没有关于其他动物感染鱼类弹状病毒的报道。我们给普通麝香龟（Chelydra serpentine）和红耳龟（Trachemys scripta elegans）腹腔注射10⁴半数组织培养感染剂量（TCID₅₀）的VHSV-IVb，21天后通过定量实时逆转录聚合酶链反应（qrt-RTPCR）在肾脏、肝脏和脾脏组织样本中检测到了该病毒。在第二个实验中，将麝香龟、红耳龟、黄腹滑龟（T. scripta scripta）和北部地图龟（Grapetemys geographica）置于14摄氏度环境下，让它们食用死于VHSV IVb疾病的蓝鳃太阳鱼组织。喂食后第3天，通过qrt-RTPCR检测，海龟的肾脏、脾脏和脑组织样本均为阴性，但在第10天和第20天呈阳性。喂食后第20天，地图龟的样本通过qrt-RTPCR检测和细胞培养均呈阳性。我们的研究表明，食用受感染鱼类的海龟可能是VHSV IVb的传播媒介，而且鱼类弹状病毒的宿主范围可能比之前怀疑的更广。
