Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London, United Kingdom.
Imperial College London, Department of Life Sciences (Silwood Park), Ascot, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2020 Jul 30;15(7):e0236803. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0236803. eCollection 2020.
Ranaviruses are agents of disease, mortality and population declines in ectothermic vertebrates and emergences have been repeatedly linked to human activities. Ranaviruses in the common midwife toad ranavirus lineage are emerging in Europe. They are known to be severe multi-host pathogens of amphibians and can also cause disease in reptiles. Recurrent outbreaks of ranavirus disease and mortality affecting three species have occurred at a small reservoir in north-west Spain but no data were available on occurrence of the pathogen in the other amphibian and reptile species present or at adjacent sites. We sampled nine species of amphibians and reptiles at the reservoir and nearby sites and screened for ranavirus presence using molecular methods. Our results show infection with ranavirus in all nine species, including first reports for Hyla molleri, Pelophylax perezi, Rana iberica, and Podarcis bocagei. We detected ranavirus in all four local sites and confirmed mass mortality incidents involving Lissotriton boscai and Triturus marmoratus were ongoing. The reservoir regularly hosts water sports tournaments and the risks of ranavirus dispersal through the translocation of contaminated equipment are discussed.
蛙病毒是变温脊椎动物疾病、死亡和数量减少的病原体，其出现一再与人类活动有关。在欧洲，常见的助产蟾蜍蛙病毒谱系中的蛙病毒正在出现。它们是众所周知的两栖动物多宿主严重病原体，也可引起爬行动物疾病。在西班牙西北部的一个小水库中，曾多次发生影响三个物种的蛙病毒疾病爆发和死亡率，但没有关于病原体在其他存在的两栖动物和爬行动物物种或附近地点出现的数据。我们在水库和附近地点对九种两栖动物和爬行动物进行了采样，并使用分子方法筛查蛙病毒的存在。我们的结果显示，所有九种物种都感染了蛙病毒，包括对 Hyla molleri、Pelophylax perezi、Rana iberica 和 Podarcis bocagei 的首次报告。我们在所有四个当地地点都检测到了蛙病毒，并证实涉及 Lissotriton boscai 和 Triturus marmoratus 的大规模死亡事件仍在继续。该水库定期举办水上运动比赛，讨论了通过污染设备的转移传播蛙病毒的风险。
