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Detection and Partial Characterization of an Atadenovirus in a Common Agama (Agama agama)
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A common agama (Agama agama) with clinical signs of dehydration, anorexia, and an abscess in the oral cavity was presented for medical examination. Bacteriological testing of an oral swab demonstrated the presence of Proteus vulgaris and Morganella morganii (Proteus morganii). A fecal examination showed oocysts of Choleoeimeria sp. and pinworm eggs. The animal died four days after examination. Samples from organs (liver, kidney, heart, and intestine) were collected for virological testing. An adenovirus was detected by polymerase chain reaction testing in the intestine. Analyses of the partial DNA-dependent–DNA-polymerase gene sequence of this adenovirus showed that the detected adenovirus clustered with members of the genus Atadenovirus.
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... Coinfection of AdVs and other infectious agents in lizards have been described previously. 5,29 Infections with AdVs and other viruses have also been reported. 1,39 Viruses that have coevolved with their hosts, as is hypothesized for atadenoviruses in reptiles, 8,18 may also be nonpathogenic for their natural hosts, or lead to development of clinical disease only in weakened hosts. ...
... An AdV described in a common agama recently also demonstrated less than 80% sequence identity to all previously detected atadenoviruses. 5 AdVs that have been described in snakes (SnAdV-1, SnAdV-2, and SnAdV-3) have also demonstrated less than 80% identity to one another and with all known atadenoviruses in this portion of the genome. 16,26 Earlier studies of AdVs of lizards using the same portion of the genome showed that six AdVs detected in seven different lizard species demonstrated less than 90% sequence identity. ...
In the years 2011-2012, a consensus nested polymerase chain reaction was used for the detection of adenovirus (AdV) infection in reptiles. During this screening, three new AdVs were detected. One of these viruses was detected in three lizards from a group of green striped tree dragons (Japalura splendida). Another was detected in a green anole (Anolis carolinensis). A third virus was detected in a Jackson's chameleon (Chamaeleo jacksonii). Analysis of a portion of the DNA-dependent DNA polymerase genes of each of these viruses revealed that they all were different from one another and from all previously described reptilian AdVs. Phylogenetic analysis of the partial DNA polymerase gene sequence showed that all newly detected viruses clustered within the genus Atadenovirus. This is the first description of AdVs in these lizard species.
... These lesions have included ulcerations in the oral cavity and nasal and ocular discharge in tortoises with a systemic severe siadenovirus infection. 36 In squamates, atadenoviruses have been detected in bearded dragons with dyspnea 37 and pneumonia, 38 a common agama with an oral abscess, 39 vipers with stomatitis and esophagitis, 40 and in a death adder (Acanthophis antarcticus) with pneumonia. 41 In some cases, dyspnea or detection of a lesion(s) in lungs has been associated with mixed infections, with adenoviruses possibly playing a role. ...
Methods for the detection of pathogens associated with respiratory disease in reptiles, including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and parasites, are constantly evolving as is the understanding of the specific roles played by various pathogens in disease processes. Some are known to be primary pathogens with high prevalence in captive reptiles, for example, serpentoviruses in pythons or mycoplasma in tortoises. Others are very commonly found in reptiles with respiratory disease but are most often considered secondary, for example, gram-negative bacteria. Detection methods as well as specific pathogens associated with upper- and lower-respiratory disease are discussed.
... Se han detectado viremias en reptiles provocadas por agentes infecciosos que también ocasionan enfermedades en el hombre, como el virus de Powssan (Mansfield et al., 2009;Marschang, 2011). En particular, los lagartos arcoíris pueden ser reservorios de protozoos, helmintos (Adeoye & Ogunbanwo, 2007;Goldberg et al., 2012), Atadenovirus, Malaria y otros parásitos sanguíneos (Depeolu & Mutinga, 1989;Omonona et al., 2011;Ball et al., 2012;Ursula et al., 2014). ...
Las invasiones biológicas representan uno de los fenómenos que más afectan a la biodiversidad y a los ecosistemas en el mundo. El objetivo de este proyecto fue fortalecer el conocimiento acerca del potencial invasor en México de ocho especies de reptiles exóticos, identificados como amenaza potencial, para apoyar la toma de decisiones respecto a la implementación de acciones preventivas, control y manejo. En este documento se presentan: 1.- un reporte con una revisión detallada de toda la información referente a cada especie, 2.- una evaluación de riesgo de establecimiento para estas especies con base tres análisis propuestos por Bomford (2008), y 3.- modelos correlativos de nicho ecológico para estimar su favorabilidad ambiental y condiciones adecuadas en México. Dos especies (Agama agama y Varanus niloticus), para las cuáles no se han documentado poblaciones silvestres establecidas en nuestro país, representan un riesgo extremo, mientras que otras tres representan un riesgo serio (Anolis carolinensis, Anolis sagrei y Gekko gecko). De acuerdo con las transferencias de los modelos de nicho generados con NicheA (mejor capacidad predictiva) existen condiciones ambientales adecuadas para el establecimiento de las ocho especies en gran parte del territorio nacional. No obstante, estos modelos deben ser tomados con cautela en las regiones del país que no presentan condiciones ambientales análogas a sus áreas de distribución nativa.
... AdVs are regularly detected in various species of lizards (Frye et al., 1994;Wellehan et al., 2004;Papp et al., 2009;Hyndman and Shilton, 2011;Ball et al., 2012Ball et al., , 2014a; in particular, central bearded dragons (Pogona vitticeps) (Kim et al., 2002;Wellehan et al., 2004;Moormann et al., 2009). They have also been described in a range of different species of snakes (Heldstab and Bestetti, 1984;Farkas et al., 2002;Marschang et al., 2003;Garner et al., 2008;Papp et al., 2009;Abbas et al., 2011). ...
Here, we report the results of a large-scale PCR survey on the prevalence and diversity of adenoviruses (AdVs) in samples, collected randomly from free-living reptiles. On the territories of the Guadarrama Mountains National Park in Central Spain and of the Chafarinas Islands in North Africa, cloacal swabs were taken from 318 specimens of eight native species representing five squamate reptilian families. The healthy-looking animals had been captured temporarily for physiological and ethological examinations, after which they were released. We found 22 AdV-positive samples in representatives of three species, all from Central Spain. Sequence analysis of the PCR products revealed the existence of three, hitherto unknown AdVs in 11 Carpetane rock lizards (Iberolacerta cyreni), nine Iberian worm lizards (Blanus cinereus), and two Iberian green lizards (Lacerta schreiberi), respectively. Phylogeny inference showed every novel putative virus to be member of the genus Atadenovirus. This is the very first description of the occurrence of AdVs in amphisbaenian and lacertid hosts. Unlike all squamate atadenoviruses examined previously, two of the novel putative AdVs had A+T rich DNA, a feature generally deemed to mirror previous host switch events. Our results shed new light on the diversity and evolution of atadenoviruses.
In spring 2011, high mortality in association with skin lesions, systemic haemorrhages and necrosis occurred in a group of green striped tree dragons (Japalura splendida) which were imported from southwestern China via Florida to Germany. Infections with various endoparasites were diagnosed in coprological examinations. Different antiparasitic and antibiotic treatments over a period of three months did not reduce the mortality rate. The remaining animals were therefore euthanased and submitted for additional testing. Predominant findings in pathological examination were granulomatous and necrotising inflammation of the skin, vacuolar tubulonephrosis of the distal renal tubules, hyperaemia and liver necrosis. Eosinophilic intranuclear and basophilic intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies were detected in the liver. Virological testing (PCR and virus isolation methods) demonstrated the presence of ranavirus, adenovirus and invertebrate iridovirus.
A new method called the neighbor-joining method is proposed for reconstructing phylogenetic trees from evolutionary distance data. The principle of this method is to find pairs of operational taxonomic units (OTUs [= neighbors]) that minimize the total branch length at each stage of clustering of OTUs starting with a starlike tree. The branch lengths as well as the topology of a parsimonious tree can quickly be obtained by using this method. Using computer simulation, we studied the efficiency of this method in obtaining the correct unrooted tree in comparison with that of five other tree-making methods: the unweighted pair group method of analysis, Farris's method, Sattath and Tversky's method, Li's method, and Tateno et al.'s modified Farris method. The new, neighbor-joining method and Sattath and Tversky's method are shown to be generally better than the other methods.
