First molecular detection of ball python nidovirus in Italy - Short communication.

First molecular detection of ball python nidovirus in Italy - Short communication. Acta Vet Hung. 2019 Mar;67(1):127-134 Authors: Rampacci E, Masi M, Origgi FC, Stefanetti V, Bottinelli M, Selleri P, Coletti M, Passamonti F Abstract A retrospective study was conducted to investigate the presence of ferlavirus, ball python nidovirus and bacteria in 32 tracheobronchial lavages from ball pythons raised in captivity and affected by respiratory disease. A touchdown reverse transcription polymerase reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to detect ball python nidovirus RNA targeting a 260-bp portion of the ORF1a gene, while a nested RT-PCR was applied to identify RNA targeting the 518-bp ferlavirus partial L gene. RT-PCR positive products were submitted for Sanger's sequencing and phylogeny reconstruction. Bacteriological examinations were performed to diagnose a possible bacterial involvement. BLAST analysis revealed that the nucleotide sequences of the six (18.8%) RT-PCR positive amplicons were 90-97% identical to the partial sequence of the ORF1a gene of the recently described ball python nidovirus. All tested snakes were negative for ferlavirus. Thirteen out of 32 samples (40.6%) were bacteriologically positive. Respiratory tract diseases can be a substantial problem for snake breeders, considering the rapid transmission of respiratory pathogens. The results and published studies show that ball python nidovirus is circulating in python collect...
Source: Acta Veterinaria Hungarica - Category: Veterinary Research Authors: Tags: Acta Vet Hung Source Type: research