Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus in Wild Rabbits
To date, five herpesviruses have been identified in Leporidae (LeHV-1, LeHV-2, LeHV-3, LeHV-4, and LeHV-5). Two of these have been shown to infect the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), causing either asymptomatic infection (LeHV-2, a gammaherpesvirus) or virulent disease (LeHV-4, an alphaherp...
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| author | Fábio A. Abade dos Santos Ana Duarte Inês C. Varandas Silvia S. Barros Ana M. Henriques Teresa Fagulha Margarida D. Duarte |
| author_facet | Fábio A. Abade dos Santos Ana Duarte Inês C. Varandas Silvia S. Barros Ana M. Henriques Teresa Fagulha Margarida D. Duarte |
| author_sort | Fábio A. Abade dos Santos |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | To date, five herpesviruses have been identified in Leporidae (LeHV-1, LeHV-2, LeHV-3, LeHV-4, and LeHV-5). Two of these have been shown to infect the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), causing either asymptomatic infection (LeHV-2, a gammaherpesvirus) or virulent disease (LeHV-4, an alphaherpesvirus). Unfortunately, apart from LeHV-4, for which complete genome sequences are available, molecular data on leporid herpesviruses are extremely limited, with no sequences available in public databases for LeHV-1 and LeHV-3, and only a few short sequences for LeHV-2 and LeHV-5. In this study, we investigated the presence of herpesviruses in biological samples from wild rabbits (<i>n</i> = 34) found dead in the field during 2024. A pan-herpesvirus nested PCR directed to the herpesviral DNA polymerase gene was used for screening. Positive samples (<i>n</i> = 14, 41.17%) were further investigated by sequencing analysis of a longer region of the <i>DNA polymerase</i> gene, as well as the <i>glycoprotein B</i> gene and the <i>terminase</i> gene. Blastn analysis of the amplicons revealed the highest similarity to gammaherpesvirus. Phylogenetic analyses based on glycoprotein B, DNA polymerase, and concatenated amino acid sequences consistently placed the newly identified LeHV-6 in close proximity to LeHV-5. Both viruses form a well-supported clade within the <i>Gammaherpesvirinae</i>, clustering with rodent-associated herpesviruses, such as Murine herpesvirus, MuHV-4, and A. sylvaticus rhadinovirus 1. Considering the species susceptibility and the nucleotide similarities with the five previously described leporid herpesviruses, we conclude that a new rabbit gammaherpesvirus has been identified, which we propose to name LeHV-6. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Matheson Library |
| issn | 1999-4915 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-8016c6a0d95f47f18e47b64a43dababd2025-07-25T13:38:59ZengMDPI AGViruses1999-49152025-07-0117796710.3390/v17070967Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus in Wild RabbitsFábio A. Abade dos Santos0Ana Duarte1Inês C. Varandas2Silvia S. Barros3Ana M. Henriques4Teresa Fagulha5Margarida D. Duarte6Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalInstituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalInstituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalInstituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalInstituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalInstituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalInstituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, Av. da República, Quinta do Marquês, 2780-157 Oeiras, PortugalTo date, five herpesviruses have been identified in Leporidae (LeHV-1, LeHV-2, LeHV-3, LeHV-4, and LeHV-5). Two of these have been shown to infect the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus), causing either asymptomatic infection (LeHV-2, a gammaherpesvirus) or virulent disease (LeHV-4, an alphaherpesvirus). Unfortunately, apart from LeHV-4, for which complete genome sequences are available, molecular data on leporid herpesviruses are extremely limited, with no sequences available in public databases for LeHV-1 and LeHV-3, and only a few short sequences for LeHV-2 and LeHV-5. In this study, we investigated the presence of herpesviruses in biological samples from wild rabbits (<i>n</i> = 34) found dead in the field during 2024. A pan-herpesvirus nested PCR directed to the herpesviral DNA polymerase gene was used for screening. Positive samples (<i>n</i> = 14, 41.17%) were further investigated by sequencing analysis of a longer region of the <i>DNA polymerase</i> gene, as well as the <i>glycoprotein B</i> gene and the <i>terminase</i> gene. Blastn analysis of the amplicons revealed the highest similarity to gammaherpesvirus. Phylogenetic analyses based on glycoprotein B, DNA polymerase, and concatenated amino acid sequences consistently placed the newly identified LeHV-6 in close proximity to LeHV-5. Both viruses form a well-supported clade within the <i>Gammaherpesvirinae</i>, clustering with rodent-associated herpesviruses, such as Murine herpesvirus, MuHV-4, and A. sylvaticus rhadinovirus 1. Considering the species susceptibility and the nucleotide similarities with the five previously described leporid herpesviruses, we conclude that a new rabbit gammaherpesvirus has been identified, which we propose to name LeHV-6.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/7/967herpesviruses<i>Gammaherpesvirinae</i>gammaherpesvirus<i>Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus</i>wild rabbitIberian rabbit |
| spellingShingle | Fábio A. Abade dos Santos Ana Duarte Inês C. Varandas Silvia S. Barros Ana M. Henriques Teresa Fagulha Margarida D. Duarte Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus in Wild Rabbits Viruses herpesviruses <i>Gammaherpesvirinae</i> gammaherpesvirus <i>Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus</i> wild rabbit Iberian rabbit |
| title | Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus in Wild Rabbits |
| title_full | Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus in Wild Rabbits |
| title_fullStr | Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus in Wild Rabbits |
| title_full_unstemmed | Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus in Wild Rabbits |
| title_short | Molecular Identification and Characterization of a Novel Gammaherpesvirus in Wild Rabbits |
| title_sort | molecular identification and characterization of a novel gammaherpesvirus in wild rabbits |
| topic | herpesviruses <i>Gammaherpesvirinae</i> gammaherpesvirus <i>Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus</i> wild rabbit Iberian rabbit |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/17/7/967 |
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