Abstract
Here we report the discovery and partial characterization of a novel herpesvirus tentatively named Bufonid herpesvirus 1 (BfHV1) from severe dermatitis in free ranging common toads (Bufo bufo) in Switzerland. The disease has been observed in toads every year since 2014, in spring, during the mating season, at different and distant locations. The virus is found in the skin and occasionally in the brain of infected toads. The genome of the virus is at least 158 Kb long and contains at least 152 open reading frames with a minimal length of 270 nt. The genome of BfHV1 contains all the signature genes that are present in alloherpesviruses. Phylogenetic analysis based on the amino acid sequence of the DNA polymerase and terminase proteins positions the novel virus among the members of the genus Batrachovirus, family Alloherpesviridae. This is the first herpesvirus ever characterized in common toads.
Highlights
Amphibians are undergoing a major decline worldwide[1,2]
Fourteen out of 48 toads examined during this investigation showed consistent skin lesions
It is not clear if, and to what extent the skin disease contributed to the death of the toads but the observed lesions showed a broad range in severity, and given the decisive physiological role of skin in amphibians, a clinical relevance of the skin disease cannot be excluded
Summary
Amphibians are undergoing a major decline worldwide[1,2]. The reasons for this unprecedented loss in biodiversity are only partially understood[3]. Ranid herpesvirus 3 (RHV3) was identified and characterized only recently[17] This virus is associated with proliferative skin disease, whose impact on the affected frogs is unknown but given the severe and extensive skin lesions is considered clinically relevant. We report the results of a study aiming to partially characterize this emerging disease in free-ranging toads and its associated viral agent, tentatively named Bufonid herpesvirus 1 (BfHV1). This is another disease that, similar to RHV3-associated skin disease, may have been overlooked or underestimated in previous years, but that is likely to have been present in the free-ranging European common toad population and might have been associated with mortality
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