Abstract

Gammaherpesvirus infections have been described in cervids worldwide, mainly the genera Macavirus or Rhadinovirus. However, little is known about the gammaherpesviruses species infecting cervids in Norway and Fennoscandia. Blood samples from semi-domesticated (n = 39) and wild (n = 35) Eurasian tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), moose (Alces alces, n = 51), and red deer (Cervus elaphus, n = 41) were tested using a panherpesvirus DNA polymerase (DPOL) PCR. DPOL-PCR-positive samples were subsequently tested for the presence of glycoprotein B (gB) gene. The viral DPOL gene was amplified in 28.2% (11/39) of the semi-domesticated reindeer and in 48.6% (17/35) of the wild reindeer. All moose and red deer tested negative. Additionally, gB gene was amplified in 4 of 11 semi-domesticated and 15 of 17 wild Eurasian reindeer DPOL-PCR-positive samples. All the obtained DPOL and gB sequences were highly similar among them, and corresponded to a novel gammaherpesvirus species, tentatively named Rangiferine gammaherpesvirus 1, that seemed to belong to a genus different from Macavirus and Rhadinovirus. This is the first report of a likely host-specific gammaherpesvirus in semi-domesticated reindeer, an economic and cultural important animal, and in wild tundra reindeer, the lastpopulation in Europe. Future studies are required to clarify the potential impact of this gammaherpesvirus on reindeer health.

Highlights

  • Herpesviruses are large DNA viruses which are able to establish latency in infected hosts.Three different subfamilies of herpesvirus are recognized within the family Herpesviridae as follows: Alphaherpesvirinae, Betaherpesvirinae, and Gammaherpesvirinae (ICTV, 2020) [1]

  • On the basis of this study’s detection of gammaherpesvirus DNA in wild and semi-domesticated reindeer and its phylogenetic differences as compared with other gammaherpesvirus sequences, one can consider that a novel gammaherpesvirus species, tentatively named Rangiferine gammaherpesvirus

  • The proposed name refers to the cervid genus, more accurate than reindeer gammaherpesvirus 1 or porcupine reindeer gammaherpesvirus and follows the recommendations of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses [7]

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Summary

Introduction

Herpesviruses are large DNA viruses which are able to establish latency in infected hosts. Three different subfamilies of herpesvirus are recognized within the family Herpesviridae as follows: Alphaherpesvirinae, Betaherpesvirinae, and Gammaherpesvirinae (ICTV, 2020) [1]. Different species in the subfamilies Alpha-, beta-, and Gammaherpesvirinae infect cervids [2,3]. Cervid alphaherpesvirus 1 (CvHV1) and cervid alphaherpesvirus 2 (CvHV2) are well documented in different cervid species and populations, with CvHV2 being associated with infectious keratoconjunctivitis and possibly with respiratory diseases in semi-domesticated Eurasian tundra reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) [4,5,6]. A novel species, designated cervid herpesvirus 3 was detected in eye swabs of reindeer with ocular lesions [2].

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