Oregon Zoo, Portland, OR 97221, USA,
Department of Comparative, Diagnostic, and Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2021 Dec;52(4):1275-1279. doi: 10.1638/2021-0044.
Herpesviruses are important pathogens in zoologic chelonian collections and have been associated with fatal disease in turtles of the family Emydidae. In this report, three western pond turtles (), living in a mixed-species freshwater turtle exhibit, presented with varying degrees of lethargy, pallor, generalized edema, and cloacal hemorrhage before death within a 2-wk period. Postmortem findings included necrohemorrhagic enterocolitis, necrotizing splenitis, hepatic necrosis, esophagitis, thymic necrosis, and pneumonia with epithelial necrosis and degeneration of the trachea and kidneys. Intraepithelial, intranuclear, amphophilic to eosinophilic, Cowdry type A viral inclusion bodies were identified in the intestinal tract, liver, spleen, kidney, trachea, lung, and thymus. PCR amplification and sequencing of liver tissue produced amplicons that were 100% homologous with emydid herpesvirus 1 (EmyHV-1). Molecular screening of cohoused emydid turtles revealed that a red-eared slider () and a western pond turtle, both asymptomatic, were PCR-positive for EmyHV-1 on combined oral-cloacal swabs. This report describes, for the first time, EmyHV-1-associated disease in western pond turtles and molecularly identifies EmyHV-1 in an asymptomatic red-eared slider.
疱疹病毒是动物园龟鳖类动物群中的重要病原体，与 Emydidae 龟科龟类的致命疾病有关。在本报告中，三只生活在混合物种淡水龟展览中的西部锦龟（）出现了不同程度的昏睡、苍白、全身性水肿和泄殖腔出血，在 2 周内死亡。尸检发现包括坏死性出血性肠炎、坏死性脾炎、肝坏死、食管炎、胸腺坏死和肺炎，伴有气管和肾脏的上皮坏死和变性。在肠道、肝脏、脾脏、肾脏、气管、肺和胸腺中发现了上皮内、核内、嗜酸性至嗜碱性、考德里 A 型病毒包涵体。对肝组织进行的 PCR 扩增和测序产生的扩增子与 emydid 疱疹病毒 1（EmyHV-1）完全同源。对同笼饲养的 emydid 龟的分子筛查显示，一只红耳滑龟（）和一只西部锦龟均无症状，在口腔-泄殖腔拭子上均为 EmyHV-1 PCR 阳性。本报告首次描述了西部锦龟与 EmyHV-1 相关的疾病，并在无症状的红耳滑龟中鉴定出 EmyHV-1。
