Novel Herpesvirus Associated With Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Smooth Green Snakes (Opheodrys vernalis)

Jessica N. Lovstad; Robert James Ossiboff; Michael J. Kinsel; Kathryn C. Gamble

doi:10.1177/0300985819837722

Novel Herpesvirus Associated With Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Smooth Green Snakes (Opheodrys vernalis)

Jessica N. Lovstad, Robert James Ossiboff, Michael J. Kinsel, Kathryn C. Gamble

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

During a 19-month period, 5 smooth green snakes (Opheodrys vernalis) maintained as an ex situ conservation colony presented with rapid clinical progression of locally invasive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. All 5 originated from the same wild source and were housed together or in close proximity. An infectious cause was considered likely, and nested conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of a novel alphaherpesvirus, Opheodrys herpesvirus 1, in the neoplastic tissue in 4 of the 5 snakes. Retrospective screening of previously submitted smooth green snakes by in situ hybridization did not detect virus in prior submissions from the colony. This report documents molecular characterization of an ophidian herpesvirus as well as colocalization of its viral nucleic acid with neoplastic transformation in snakes.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	630-635
Number of pages	6
Journal	Veterinary pathology
Volume	56
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1177/0300985819837722
State	Published - Jul 1 2019
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Opheodrys herpesvirus 1
Opheodrys vernalis
colubrid
herpesvirus
in situ hybridization
smooth green snake
squamous cell carcinoma

ASJC Scopus subject areas

veterinary(all)

Access to Document

10.1177/0300985819837722

Cite this

@article{b4272b330f104e83a118eeecc50e5bd4,

title = "Novel Herpesvirus Associated With Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Smooth Green Snakes (Opheodrys vernalis)",

abstract = "During a 19-month period, 5 smooth green snakes (Opheodrys vernalis) maintained as an ex situ conservation colony presented with rapid clinical progression of locally invasive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. All 5 originated from the same wild source and were housed together or in close proximity. An infectious cause was considered likely, and nested conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of a novel alphaherpesvirus, Opheodrys herpesvirus 1, in the neoplastic tissue in 4 of the 5 snakes. Retrospective screening of previously submitted smooth green snakes by in situ hybridization did not detect virus in prior submissions from the colony. This report documents molecular characterization of an ophidian herpesvirus as well as colocalization of its viral nucleic acid with neoplastic transformation in snakes.",

keywords = "Opheodrys herpesvirus 1, Opheodrys vernalis, colubrid, herpesvirus, in situ hybridization, smooth green snake, squamous cell carcinoma",

author = "Lovstad, {Jessica N.} and Ossiboff, {Robert James} and Kinsel, {Michael J.} and Gamble, {Kathryn C.}",

note = "Funding Information: We would like to thank the histology staff at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for slide preparation, Melissa Brown of the histology laboratory at the University of Florida?s College of Veterinary Medicine for ISH slide processing, and the Zoological Pathology Program faculty members and residents who performed the necropsies and histopathologic evaluations included in this study. The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s) 2019.",

year = "2019",

month = jul,

day = "1",

doi = "10.1177/0300985819837722",

language = "English (US)",

volume = "56",

pages = "630--635",

journal = "Pathologia veterinaria",

issn = "0300-9858",

publisher = "SAGE Publishing",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - Novel Herpesvirus Associated With Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Smooth Green Snakes (Opheodrys vernalis)

AU - Lovstad, Jessica N.

AU - Ossiboff, Robert James

AU - Kinsel, Michael J.

AU - Gamble, Kathryn C.

N1 - Funding Information: We would like to thank the histology staff at the Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign for slide preparation, Melissa Brown of the histology laboratory at the University of Florida?s College of Veterinary Medicine for ISH slide processing, and the Zoological Pathology Program faculty members and residents who performed the necropsies and histopathologic evaluations included in this study. The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2019.

PY - 2019/7/1

Y1 - 2019/7/1

N2 - During a 19-month period, 5 smooth green snakes (Opheodrys vernalis) maintained as an ex situ conservation colony presented with rapid clinical progression of locally invasive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. All 5 originated from the same wild source and were housed together or in close proximity. An infectious cause was considered likely, and nested conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of a novel alphaherpesvirus, Opheodrys herpesvirus 1, in the neoplastic tissue in 4 of the 5 snakes. Retrospective screening of previously submitted smooth green snakes by in situ hybridization did not detect virus in prior submissions from the colony. This report documents molecular characterization of an ophidian herpesvirus as well as colocalization of its viral nucleic acid with neoplastic transformation in snakes.

AB - During a 19-month period, 5 smooth green snakes (Opheodrys vernalis) maintained as an ex situ conservation colony presented with rapid clinical progression of locally invasive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. All 5 originated from the same wild source and were housed together or in close proximity. An infectious cause was considered likely, and nested conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and in situ hybridization confirmed the presence of a novel alphaherpesvirus, Opheodrys herpesvirus 1, in the neoplastic tissue in 4 of the 5 snakes. Retrospective screening of previously submitted smooth green snakes by in situ hybridization did not detect virus in prior submissions from the colony. This report documents molecular characterization of an ophidian herpesvirus as well as colocalization of its viral nucleic acid with neoplastic transformation in snakes.

KW - Opheodrys herpesvirus 1

KW - Opheodrys vernalis

KW - colubrid

KW - herpesvirus

KW - in situ hybridization

KW - smooth green snake

KW - squamous cell carcinoma

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85064649996&partnerID=8YFLogxK

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85064649996&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/0300985819837722

DO - 10.1177/0300985819837722

M3 - Article

C2 - 30983531

AN - SCOPUS:85064649996

VL - 56

SP - 630

EP - 635

JO - Pathologia veterinaria

JF - Pathologia veterinaria

SN - 0300-9858

IS - 4

ER -

Novel Herpesvirus Associated With Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Smooth Green Snakes (Opheodrys vernalis)

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Access to Document

Other links

Fingerprint

Cite this