Abstract
A mortality event among recently captured feral donkeys (Equus asinus) occurred in south-central Utah in 2016. The deaths were sporadic, and clinical signs were indicative of respiratory disease, likely associated with an infectious etiology. Ten of 13 donkeys autopsied had moderate-to-severe interstitial fibrosing pneumonia, and one had pyogranulomatous pneumonia. Consensus PCRs directed toward the DNA polymerase and DNA packaging terminase subunit 1 for herpesviruses were performed followed by sequencing of the PCR amplicons and phylogenetic analysis. Asinine herpesvirus 4 (AsHV4) and 5 (AsHV5) were consistently identified in lung tissues of affected donkeys. No other herpesviruses were identified, and herpesviral DNA was not detected in lung tissues of 2 donkeys without evidence of respiratory disease. The detection of asinine gammaherpesviruses may have been associated with the lesions described. AsHV4 and AsHV5 have been reported in previous studies as novel gammaherpesviruses based on sequences obtained from donkeys with interstitial pneumonia and marked syncytial cell formation. Our findings suggest that the association of asinine gammaherpesviruses with respiratory conditions in equids deserves further attention.
Highlights
Herpesviruses are important pathogens associated with respiratory disease in equids.[10]
Equid gammaherpesvirus 5 (EHV5) has been implicated in equine multinodular pulmonary fibrosis, which is a chronic progressive disease characterized by clearly demarcated nodules of fibrosis in the lung.[19,20,22]
Were designated as novel gammaherpesviruses based on sequences obtained from donkeys with interstitial pneumonia and marked syncytial cell formation.[7]
Summary
Herpesviruses are important pathogens associated with respiratory disease in equids.[10]. We describe a cluster of respiratory cases associated with a mortality event in feral donkeys (Equus asinus) from which pulmonary lesions were characterized by fibrosing pneumonia with consistent detection of AsHV4 and AsHV5. Asinine gammaherpesviruses have not been described in association with an outbreak condition in either domestic or feral donkey populations.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have