Microbiology and Immunology, School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia.
Vet Res. 2011 Sep 21;42(1):100. doi: 10.1186/1297-9716-42-100.
The etiology of reptilian viral diseases can be attributed to a wide range of viruses occurring across different genera and families. Thirty to forty years ago, studies of viruses in reptiles focused mainly on the zoonotic potential of arboviruses in reptiles and much effort went into surveys and challenge trials of a range of reptiles with eastern and western equine encephalitis as well as Japanese encephalitis viruses. In the past decade, outbreaks of infection with West Nile virus in human populations and in farmed alligators in the USA has seen the research emphasis placed on the issue of reptiles, particularly crocodiles and alligators, being susceptible to, and reservoirs for, this serious zoonotic disease. Although there are many recognised reptilian viruses, the evidence for those being primary pathogens is relatively limited. Transmission studies establishing pathogenicity and cofactors are likewise scarce, possibly due to the relatively low commercial importance of reptiles, difficulties with the availability of animals and permits for statistically sound experiments, difficulties with housing of reptiles in an experimental setting or the inability to propagate some viruses in cell culture to sufficient titres for transmission studies. Viruses as causes of direct loss of threatened species, such as the chelonid fibropapilloma associated herpesvirus and ranaviruses in farmed and wild tortoises and turtles, have re-focused attention back to the characterisation of the viruses as well as diagnosis and pathogenesis in the host itself.
爬行动物病毒性疾病的病因可归因于广泛存在于不同属和科的各种病毒。三十到四十年前，爬行动物病毒的研究主要集中在爬行动物中虫媒病毒的人畜共患潜力上，人们对一系列爬行动物进行了调查和挑战试验，包括东部和西部马脑炎病毒以及日本脑炎病毒。在过去的十年中，西尼罗河病毒在人类和美国养殖短吻鳄中的爆发感染使得人们对爬行动物（特别是鳄鱼和短吻鳄）易感染这种严重人畜共患病以及作为这种疾病的储存宿主的问题产生了研究重点。尽管有许多公认的爬行动物病毒，但作为原发性病原体的证据相对有限。确立致病性和协同因素的传播研究同样稀缺，这可能是由于爬行动物的商业重要性相对较低、动物的可用性和用于进行统计学上合理的实验的许可证存在困难、在实验环境中饲养爬行动物存在困难或某些病毒无法在细胞培养中繁殖到足够的滴度以进行传播研究。病毒作为直接导致受威胁物种丧失的原因，例如与养殖和野生龟鳖类的龟纤维乳头瘤相关疱疹病毒和蛙病毒，重新将人们的注意力集中在病毒的特征以及宿主本身的诊断和发病机制上。
