Literaturdatenbank
Literaturdatenbank |
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Coberley, S. S. (2002). The the role of herpesviruses in marine turtle diseases. Unpublished PhD Dissertation, University of Florida.
Added by: Admin (14 Aug 2008 20:35:26 UTC) Last edited by: Sarina Wunderlich (25 Sep 2008 17:34:25 UTC) |
| Resource type: Thesis/Dissertation BibTeX citation key: Coberley2002a View all bibliographic details  |
Categories: General Keywords: Schildkröten = turtles + tortoises, Veterinärmedizin = veterinary medicine, Viren = viruses Creators: Coberley Publisher: University of Florida |
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| Abstract |
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Herpesviruses are associated with several diseases of marine turtles including lung-eye-trachea disease (LETD) and fibropapillomatosis (FP). Studies were designed to investigate the etiological role of herpesviruses in these diseases. Fibropapillomatosis (FP) is a debilitating disease characterized by the development of external and internal tumors, and is increasingly prevalent among wild populations of marine turtles around the world. While a herpesvirus is the leading candidate for the etiology of FP, the FP-associated herpesvirus (FPHV) has not been isolated into pure culture, limiting definitive studies to establish causation. The clinical signs of LETD have been observed in free-ranging and captive-reared turtles worldwide, but the impact of this disease on marine turtle populations has not been evaluated. The LETD-associated herpesvirus (LETV) was successfully cultured and cloned from the index case of LETD and provided a unique resource to study the largely unexplored marine turtle herpesviruses. The ability to study LETV concurrently with FPHV provided important research benefits. Numerous isolation attempts to cultivate FPHV in various host cell systems, though unsuccessful, were facilitated by having LETV serve as an effective virus growth control. LETV enabled studies demonstrating that this group of viruses can persist in an infectious state in a marine environment for extended periods of time. A specific serological assay for the detection of LETV antibodies was developed and exposure of wild turtles to this virus was demonstrated for the first time. The level of conservation among antigens of LETV, FPHV, and HSV was evaluated to determine if any of these herpesviral antigens could be used in the development of specific serological assays for FPHV exposure. These studies revealed levels of immunological complexity that need to be resolved before useful seroepidemiology can be developed. Two immunogenic herpesviral proteins, LETV glycoprotein B and UL 26, were identified, cloned, and expressed. These are the first proteins from a reptilian herpesvirus to be cloned, expressed and identified as immunogenic in their host species. Serodiagnostic assays using these recombinant herpesviral antigens will be developed to evaluate exposure of marine turtle populations to LETV and FPHV and better define the role of these herpesviruses in their respective diseases.
Added by: Admin Last edited by: Sarina Wunderlich |