Wildlife Epidemiology Laboratory, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61802, USA,
Chicago Zoological Society, Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL 60513, USA.
J Zoo Wildl Med. 2023 Mar;54(1):159-163. doi: 10.1638/2022-0105.
Infections with herpesvirus have contributed to respiratory, enteric, and neurological disease reports in avian species worldwide. Herpesviruses have been detected in penguin species before but have not been studied extensively. To better understand the impact of these viruses in free-living populations, an initial retrospective survey was performed on a wild population of Humboldt penguins () in the Punta San Juan Marine Protected Area, Peru (15°22'S, 75°12'W) using tracheal swabs collected from 28 penguins in 2016 and 34 penguins in 2018. DNA extracted from these swabs was analyzed using a consensus herpesviral PCR assay targeting the DNA polymerase gene, and positive samples were sequenced. A single sample from 2016 was positive for spheniscid alpha-herpesvirus-1 (SpAHV-1), establishing an overall sample prevalence of 1.6% (95% CI: 0-8.6%). The positive animal was an adult male that did not show any clinical signs of herpesviral infection and was otherwise healthy based on physical exam and laboratory findings. This is the first detection of a herpesvirus in penguins at Punta San Juan, Peru, and the first step toward characterizing the implications of SpAHV-1 for Humboldt penguins. This investigation highlights the importance of continual disease surveillance in wild populations over time to monitor for changes that may impact long-term population viability.
疱疹病毒感染已导致世界各地鸟类出现呼吸道、肠道和神经疾病报告。以前在企鹅物种中检测到过疱疹病毒，但尚未进行广泛研究。为了更好地了解这些病毒在自由生活种群中的影响，对秘鲁 Punta San Juan 海洋保护区（15°22'S，75°12'W）的洪堡企鹅（）野生种群进行了一项初始回顾性调查，使用 2016 年采集的 28 只企鹅和 2018 年采集的 34 只企鹅的气管拭子进行调查。从这些拭子中提取的 DNA 使用针对 DNA 聚合酶基因的共识疱疹病毒 PCR 检测进行分析，对阳性样本进行测序。2016 年的一个样本对 spheniscid alpha-herpesvirus-1（SpAHV-1）呈阳性，总体样本阳性率为 1.6%（95%CI：0-8.6%）。阳性动物为成年雄性，没有出现疱疹病毒感染的任何临床症状，根据体检和实验室发现，它的身体状况良好。这是在秘鲁 Punta San Juan 首次检测到疱疹病毒，也是表征 SpAHV-1 对洪堡企鹅影响的第一步。这项调查强调了随着时间的推移对野生种群进行持续疾病监测的重要性，以监测可能影响长期种群生存能力的变化。
