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Viruses
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Recent Advances in Virus Infections of Lower Vertebrates
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Recent Advances in Virus Infections of Lower Vertebrates

A special issue of Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915). This special issue belongs to the section "Animal Viruses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 7341

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Stephen Mutoloki

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Oslo, Norway
Interests: host-pathogen interactions; pathogenesis of emerging viral infections; pathogenesis; diagnosis; investigation of virus–host interactions; application of innovative molecular methods in infectious disease diagnosis; bacteriophages; phage display

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Viruses of lower vertebrates are an interesting field because of their economic importance to aquatic poikilotherms but also their potential to traverse species, for example, the Caliciviruses. These viruses also form a basis for understanding the evolution of viruses affecting higher vertebrates including humans. Several RNA and DNA viruses infecting fish, amphibians and reptiles have been studied extensively over the years and yet have emerged. Advances in molecular technology, on the other hand, have provided better resolutions for screening as well as understanding the mechanisms of pathogenesis and host defense.

In this Special Issue, we aim for research papers and review articles that contribute to an improved understanding of infection dynamics, mechanisms of pathogenesis and host defenses.

Dr. Stephen Mutoloki
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Viruses is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • viral entry
  • viral evolution
  • viral proteins
  • viral replication
  • lower vertebrates

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 1001 KiB  
Article
Inactivation of Human Norovirus GII.4’s Infectivity in Fresh Oysters (Crassostrea gigas) through Thermal Treatment in Association with Propidium Monoazide
by So Hee Kim, Pantu Kumar Roy, Eun Bi Jeon, Jin-Soo Kim, Min Soo Heu, Jung-Suck Lee and Shin Young Park
Viruses 2024, 16(1), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/v16010110 - 12 Jan 2024
Viewed by 855
Abstract
The current study investigated the effects of heat treatment (85 °C or 100 °C for 5–20 min) on human norovirus (HuNoV) GII.4’s capsid stability in fresh oysters. In addition, propidium monoazide (PMA) was used in viral samples to distinguish infectious viruses and evaluated [...] Read more.
The current study investigated the effects of heat treatment (85 °C or 100 °C for 5–20 min) on human norovirus (HuNoV) GII.4’s capsid stability in fresh oysters. In addition, propidium monoazide (PMA) was used in viral samples to distinguish infectious viruses and evaluated using real-time quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Further, we explored the effect of the heat treatment on oyster quality (Hunter color and hardness). The titer of HuNoV for oysters significantly (p < 0.05) decreased to 0.39–1.32 and 0.93–2.27 log10 copy number/μL in the non-PMA and PMA-treated groups, respectively, after heat treatment. HuNoV in oysters not treated with PMA showed a decrease of <1.5 − log10, whereas in PMA-treated oysters, a decrease of >1 − log10 was observed after treatment at 85 °C for 10 min. Treatments for both 15 min and 20 min at 100 °C showed a >99% log10 reduction using PMA/RT-qPCR. In the Hunter color, an increase in heat temperature and duration was associated with a significant decrease in ‘L’ (brightness+, darkness−) and an increase in ‘a’ (redness+, greenness−) and ‘b’ (yellowness+, blueness−) (p < 0.05). Our findings confirmed that the hardness of oyster meat significantly increased with increasing temperature and time (p < 0.05). This study demonstrated that PMA/RT-qPCR was effective in distinguishing HuNoV viability in heat-treated oysters. The optimal heat treatment for oysters was 10 min at 85 °C and 5 min at 100 °C. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Virus Infections of Lower Vertebrates)
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18 pages, 3027 KiB  
Article
Non-Lethal Detection of Frog Virus 3-Like (RUK13) and Common Midwife Toad Virus-Like (PDE18) Ranaviruses in Two UK-Native Amphibian Species
by Charlotte E. Ford, Lola M. Brookes, Emily Skelly, Chris Sergeant, Tresai Jordine, Francois Balloux, Richard A. Nichols and Trenton W. J. Garner
Viruses 2022, 14(12), 2635; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14122635 - 25 Nov 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2025
Abstract
Ranaviruses have been involved in amphibian mass mortality events worldwide. Effective screening to control this pathogen is essential; however, current sampling methods are unsuitable for the detection of subclinical infections. Non-lethal screening is needed to prevent both further spread of ranavirus and losses [...] Read more.
Ranaviruses have been involved in amphibian mass mortality events worldwide. Effective screening to control this pathogen is essential; however, current sampling methods are unsuitable for the detection of subclinical infections. Non-lethal screening is needed to prevent both further spread of ranavirus and losses of at-risk species. To assess non-lethal sampling methods, we conducted two experiments: bath exposing common frogs to RUK13 ranavirus at three concentrations, and exposing common toads to RUK13 or PDE18. Non-lethal sampling included buccal, digit, body and tank swabs, along with toe clips and stool taken across three time-points post-exposure. The presence/load of ranavirus was examined using quantitative PCR in 11 different tissues obtained from the same euthanised animals (incl. liver, gastro-intestinal tract and kidney). Buccal swab screening had the highest virus detection rate in both species (62% frogs; 71% toads) and produced consistently high virus levels compared to other non-lethal assays. The buccal swab was effective across multiple stages of infection and differing infection intensities, though low levels of infection were more difficult to detect. Buccal swab assays competed with, and even outperformed, lethal sampling in frogs and toads, respectively. Successful virus detection in the absence of clinical signs was observed (33% frogs; 50% toads); we found no difference in detectability for RUK13 and PDE18. Our results suggest that buccal swabbing could replace lethal sampling for screening and be introduced as standard practice for ranavirus surveillance. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Virus Infections of Lower Vertebrates)
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10 pages, 1347 KiB  
Article
Prevalence of Ranavirus Infection in Three Anuran Species across South Korea
by Namho Roh, Jaejin Park, Jongsun Kim, Hyerim Kwon and Daesik Park
Viruses 2022, 14(5), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/v14051073 - 17 May 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1700
Abstract
To cope with amphibian die-offs caused by ranavirus, it is important to know the underlying ranavirus prevalence in a region. We studied the ranavirus prevalence in tadpoles of two native and one introduced anuran species inhabiting agricultural and surrounding areas at 49 locations [...] Read more.
To cope with amphibian die-offs caused by ranavirus, it is important to know the underlying ranavirus prevalence in a region. We studied the ranavirus prevalence in tadpoles of two native and one introduced anuran species inhabiting agricultural and surrounding areas at 49 locations across eight provinces of South Korea by applying qPCR. The local ranavirus prevalence and the individual infection rates at infected locations were 32.6% and 16.1%, respectively, for Dryophytes japonicus (Japanese tree frog); 25.6% and 26.1% for Pelophylax nigromaculatus (Black-spotted pond frog); and 30.5% and 50.0% for Lithobates catesbeianus (American bullfrog). The individual infection rate of L. catesbeianus was significantly greater than that of D. japonicus. The individual infection rate of P. nigromaculatus was related to the site-specific precipitation and air temperature. The individual infection rate gradually increased from Gosner development stage 39, and intermittent infection was confirmed in the early and middle developmental stages. Our results show that ranavirus is widespread among wild amphibians living in agricultural areas of South Korea, and mass die-offs by ranavirus could occur at any time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Virus Infections of Lower Vertebrates)
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8 pages, 1096 KiB  
Brief Report
Non-Lethal Detection of Ranavirus in Fish
by Catarina D. Coutinho, Charlotte E. Ford, Joseph D. Trafford, Ana Duarte, Rui Rebelo and Gonçalo M. Rosa
Viruses 2023, 15(2), 471; https://doi.org/10.3390/v15020471 - 08 Feb 2023
Viewed by 2092
Abstract
Emergent infectious diseases have an increasing impact on both farmed animals and wildlife. The ability to screen for pathogens is critical for understanding host–pathogen dynamics and informing better management. Ranavirus is a pathogen of concern, associated with disease outbreaks worldwide, affecting a broad [...] Read more.
Emergent infectious diseases have an increasing impact on both farmed animals and wildlife. The ability to screen for pathogens is critical for understanding host–pathogen dynamics and informing better management. Ranavirus is a pathogen of concern, associated with disease outbreaks worldwide, affecting a broad range of fish, amphibian, and reptile hosts, but research has been limited. The traditional screening of internal tissues, such as the liver, has been regarded as the most effective for detecting and quantifying Ranavirus. However, such methodology imposes several limitations from ethical and conservation standpoints. Non-lethal sampling methods of viral detection were explored by comparing the efficacy of both buccal swabbing and fin clipping. The study was conducted on two Iberian, threatened freshwater fish (Iberochondrostoma lusitanicum and Cobitis paludica), and all samples were screened using qPCR. While for C. paludica both methods were reliable in detecting Ranavirus, on I. lusitanicum, there was a significantly higher detection rate in buccal swabs than in fin tissue. This study, therefore, reports that fin clipping may yield false Ranavirus negatives when in small-bodied freshwater fish. Overall, buccal swabbing is found to be good as an alternative to more invasive procedures, which is of extreme relevance, particularly when dealing with a threatened species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Recent Advances in Virus Infections of Lower Vertebrates)
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