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© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.

Abstract

Ranaviruses are the second deadliest pathogens for amphibian populations throughout the world. Despite their wide distribution in America, these viruses have never been reported in Mexico, the country with the fifth highest amphibian diversity in the world. This paper is the first to address an outbreak of ranavirus in captive American bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) from Sinaloa, Mexico. The farm experienced high mortality in an undetermined number of juveniles and sub-adult bullfrogs. Affected animals displayed clinical signs and gross lesions such as lethargy, edema, skin ulcers, and hemorrhages consistent with ranavirus infection. The main microscopic lesions included mild renal tubular necrosis and moderate congestion in several organs. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed scant infected hepatocytes and renal tubular epithelial cells. Phylogenetic analysis of five partial ranavirus genes showed that the causative agent clustered within the Frog virus 3 clade. Risk assessment with the Pandora+ protocol demonstrated a high risk for the pathogen to affect amphibians from neighboring regions (overall Pandora risk score: 0.619). Given the risk of American bullfrogs escaping and spreading the disease to wild amphibians, efforts should focus on implementing effective containment strategies and surveillance programs for ranavirus at facilities undertaking intensive farming of amphibians.

Details

Title
Pathogen Risk Analysis for Wild Amphibian Populations Following the First Report of a Ranavirus Outbreak in Farmed American Bullfrogs (Lithobates catesbeianus) from Northern Mexico
Author
Saucedo, Bernardo 1 ; Serrano, José M 2   VIAFID ORCID Logo  ; Jacinto-Maldonado, Mónica 3 ; Rob S E W Leuven 4 ; Rocha García, Abraham A 5 ; Adriana Méndez Bernal 5 ; Gröne, Andrea 1 ; van Beurden, Steven J 1 ; Escobedo-Bonilla, César M 6   VIAFID ORCID Logo 

 Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Utrecht University, 3584 CL Utrecht, The Netherlands 
 Laboratorio de Genética y Evolución, Departamento de Ciencias Ecológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Chile, Las Palmeras, Santiago 3425, Chile; Programa de Fisiología y Biofísica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago 8380453, Chile 
 Wildlife and Laboratory Animals, Department of Ethology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 045010, Mexico; C3-Complexity sciences Center, Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 045010, Mexico 
 Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Radboud University, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands; Netherlands Centre of Expertise on Exotic Species, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands 
 Department of Pathology 04510, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City 045010, Mexico 
 Department of Aquaculture, Instituto Politécnico, Nacional-CIIDIR Unidad Sinaloa, Guasave Sinaloa 81101, Mexico 
First page
26
Publication year
2019
Publication date
2019
Publisher
MDPI AG
e-ISSN
19994915
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2468688259
Copyright
© 2019 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.