Franklinos L H V, Fernandez J Rodriguez-Ramos, Hydeskov H B, Hopkins K P, Everest D J, Cunningham A A, Lawson B
Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, NW1 4RY, UK.
Dis Aquat Organ. 2018 Aug 14;129(3):239-244. doi: 10.3354/dao03246.
Infectious disease is a significant driver of global amphibian declines, yet despite this, relatively little is known about the range of pathogens that affect free-living amphibians. Recent detection of the tentatively named Ranid herpesvirus 3 (RHV3), associated with skin disease in free-living common frogs Rana temporaria in Switzerland, helps to address this paucity in knowledge, but the geographic distribution and epidemiology of the pathogen remains unclear. Syndromic surveillance for ranid herpesvirus skin disease was undertaken throughout Great Britain (GB), January 2014 to December 2016. Reports of common frogs with macroscopic skin lesions with a characteristic grey appearance were solicited from members of the public. Post-mortem examination was conducted on one affected frog found dead in 2015 at a site in England. In addition, archived samples from an incident involving common frogs in England in 1997 with similar macroscopic lesions were further investigated. Transmission electron microscopy identified herpes-like virions in skin lesions from both the 1997 and 2015 incidents. RHV3, or RHV3-like virus, was detected in skin lesions from the 2015 case by PCR and sequencing. Our findings indicate that herpesvirus skin disease is endemic in common frogs in GB, with widespread distribution at apparently low prevalence. Further research into the role of host immunity, virus latency and the significance of infection to host survival is required to better understand the epidemiology and impact of cutaneous herpesvirus infections in amphibian populations.
传染病是导致全球两栖动物数量下降的一个重要因素，然而尽管如此，对于影响自由生活两栖动物的病原体种类，我们了解得相对较少。最近在瑞士自由生活的普通青蛙（欧洲林蛙）中检测到一种暂命名为蛙疱疹病毒3型（RHV3）的病毒，它与皮肤病有关，这有助于填补这一知识空白，但该病原体的地理分布和流行病学情况仍不清楚。2014年1月至2016年12月期间，在英国全境开展了针对蛙疱疹病毒皮肤病的症状监测。向公众征集有关出现具有特征性灰色外观宏观皮肤病变的普通青蛙的报告。对2015年在英格兰一个地点发现死亡的一只患病青蛙进行了尸检。此外，还对1997年英格兰一起涉及普通青蛙且有类似宏观病变事件的存档样本进行了进一步调查。透射电子显微镜在1997年和2015年事件的皮肤病变中均鉴定出疱疹样病毒粒子。通过PCR和测序在2015年病例的皮肤病变中检测到RHV3或RHV3样病毒。我们的研究结果表明，疱疹病毒皮肤病在英国的普通青蛙中呈地方流行，分布广泛但患病率明显较低。需要进一步研究宿主免疫的作用、病毒潜伏情况以及感染对宿主生存的意义，以更好地了解两栖动物种群中皮肤疱疹病毒感染的流行病学和影响。
