1. Detection of a novel herpesvirus associated with squamous cell carcinoma in a free-ranging Blanding's turtle.
- Author
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Andersson, Kirsten E., Adamovicz, Laura, Mumm, Lauren E., Winter, John M., Glowacki, Gary, Teixeira-Neto, Rachel, Adkesson, Michael J., Hostnik, Eric T., Haynes, Ellen, and Allender, Matthew C.
- Subjects
SQUAMOUS cell carcinoma ,TURTLES ,SEA turtles ,ANIMAL populations ,WILDLIFE diseases - Abstract
The spread of both infectious and noninfectious diseases through wildlife populations is of increasing concern. Neoplastic diseases are rarely associated with population-level impacts in wildlife; however, impacts on individual health can be severe and might reflect deteriorating environmental conditions. An adult male free-ranging Blanding's turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) originally captured in 2005 and deemed healthy, was recaptured in 2018 with a 1 × 1.5 cm intra-oral broad-based right mandibular mass. An excisional biopsy was performed, and histopathology revealed squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). Consensus herpesvirus PCR identified a novel herpesvirus (proposed name Emydoidea herpesvirus 2 [EBHV-2]) within the tumor. EBHV-2 shares 85% sequence homology with Terrapene herpesvirus 2 (TerHV-2), a herpesvirus linked to fibropapillomas in eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina). Virus-associated fibropapillomas have been identified in multiple marine turtle species and have had debilitating effects on their populations, but to date, virus-associated SCCs are rarely reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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