Agamid adenovirus
Encyclopedia
Agamid adenovirus is a type of virus
in the Adenoviridae
family. The virus is widespread in captive populations of Pogona vitticeps
, known commonly as the Inland Bearded Dragon, in the United States
. Other countries with confirmed cases are Australia
, Japan
, Germany
, The Netherlands, Belgium
, UK and Central America
(El Salvador
). It is often discovered in association with other infections, and causes increased juvenile mortality and adult deaths.
-like particles in Bearded Dragons
was reported from New Zealand in 1982 (Julian and Durham, 1985). Since then multiple studies have come out about the virus. University of Florida
seems to lead with the most detailed and up to date reports, however University of Illinois is also known to be involved in research of the virus.
Agamid adenovirus 1 has also been identified in bearded dragons in Austria:
, or infected cells, were found in the intestinal mucosa, hepatocytes, and bile ducts. Even where an Agamid shows no signs of infection, many are believed to be sub-clinically infected, or carriers of the virus. Although they show no signs they can infect others. It is known that the virus is transferable through fecal-oral contact, however it is speculated that it can be passed in ways as of current research are unknown. Agamid Adenovirus is becoming widespread in the United States, with several breeders admitting infection and shutting down their current projects. However some breeders are still not convinced of the dangers of Agamid Adenovirus, thus they do not test, they could be selling Adenovirus positive offspring. A report from Louisiana State University found that baby and juvenile Bearded Dragons have a high mortality rate associated with this virus.
The following is quoted from Cheri Smith's compilation of Adenovirus symptoms:
"Any animal that is suspected of having this virus should be isolated, never breed and great care taken when handling between animals. All animals in contact with another that is suspected of having it or confirmed should be isolated from each other, never bred, certainly never sold to others that may unknowingly start the cycle again with other animals. One confirmed case had a couple with an ill animal that brought it to a breeder to look at and he followed all safety precautions, only to find the couple handling some of his babies while he was looking at theirs, 10 days later his entire clutch was ill and dying, it passes that easily! Another breeder at a show in NY, returned from the show and had babies dying that tested positive within 2 weeks (since that time, 2 other breeders that attend the same show have also lost their colony of dragons to the virus)"
In 2005 it was noted by Cheri Smith that "Sibling clutches have been tested and some are positive, some are negative in the same clutch. This leads to the theory that some are infected when the eggs pass through the cloaca and pick up viral particles or some are infected before they are shelled when others are spared."
, and dependovirus, a genus of
Parvovirus
may play roles in clinical presentation of disease. Husbandry factors such as temperature range, diet, population density, and other stressors also are likely to play significant roles in clinical presentation.
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
in the Adenoviridae
Adenoviridae
Adenoviruses are medium-sized , nonenveloped icosahedral viruses composed of a nucleocapsid and a double-stranded linear DNA genome...
family. The virus is widespread in captive populations of Pogona vitticeps
Central Bearded Dragon
Pogona vitticeps, the Central Bearded Dragon, is a species of agamid lizard occurring in a wide range of arid to semi-arid regions of Australia...
, known commonly as the Inland Bearded Dragon, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Other countries with confirmed cases are Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, The Netherlands, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, UK and Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
(El Salvador
El Salvador
El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...
). It is often discovered in association with other infections, and causes increased juvenile mortality and adult deaths.
History
The first detection of adenovirusAdenoviridae
Adenoviruses are medium-sized , nonenveloped icosahedral viruses composed of a nucleocapsid and a double-stranded linear DNA genome...
-like particles in Bearded Dragons
was reported from New Zealand in 1982 (Julian and Durham, 1985). Since then multiple studies have come out about the virus. University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
seems to lead with the most detailed and up to date reports, however University of Illinois is also known to be involved in research of the virus.
Diversity of agamid adenoviruses
Data have recently been published on the diversity of Agamid adenovirus 1 in the United States http://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S1567134809000112Agamid adenovirus 1 has also been identified in bearded dragons in Austria:
- Agamid atadenovirus ben http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=332202&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock
- Agamid atadenovirus wall http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?mode=Info&id=332203&lvl=3&lin=f&keep=1&srchmode=1&unlock
Infection and consequences
In a study published by the Journal of Virology, intranuclear inclusionsInclusion bodies
Inclusion bodies are nuclear or cytoplasmic aggregates of stainable substances, usually proteins. They typically represent sites of viral multiplication in a bacterium or a eukaryotic cell and usually consist of viral capsid proteins...
, or infected cells, were found in the intestinal mucosa, hepatocytes, and bile ducts. Even where an Agamid shows no signs of infection, many are believed to be sub-clinically infected, or carriers of the virus. Although they show no signs they can infect others. It is known that the virus is transferable through fecal-oral contact, however it is speculated that it can be passed in ways as of current research are unknown. Agamid Adenovirus is becoming widespread in the United States, with several breeders admitting infection and shutting down their current projects. However some breeders are still not convinced of the dangers of Agamid Adenovirus, thus they do not test, they could be selling Adenovirus positive offspring. A report from Louisiana State University found that baby and juvenile Bearded Dragons have a high mortality rate associated with this virus.
The following is quoted from Cheri Smith's compilation of Adenovirus symptoms:
"Any animal that is suspected of having this virus should be isolated, never breed and great care taken when handling between animals. All animals in contact with another that is suspected of having it or confirmed should be isolated from each other, never bred, certainly never sold to others that may unknowingly start the cycle again with other animals. One confirmed case had a couple with an ill animal that brought it to a breeder to look at and he followed all safety precautions, only to find the couple handling some of his babies while he was looking at theirs, 10 days later his entire clutch was ill and dying, it passes that easily! Another breeder at a show in NY, returned from the show and had babies dying that tested positive within 2 weeks (since that time, 2 other breeders that attend the same show have also lost their colony of dragons to the virus)"
In 2005 it was noted by Cheri Smith that "Sibling clutches have been tested and some are positive, some are negative in the same clutch. This leads to the theory that some are infected when the eggs pass through the cloaca and pick up viral particles or some are infected before they are shelled when others are spared."
Symptoms
Symptoms of Agamid Adenovirus 1 in bearded dragons are variable, and range from asymptomatic infection to enteritis to death. It is probable that there is a relationship between dose of infection and clinical disease. Coinfections with other agents such as Isospora amphibolouri, a coccidiaCoccidia
Coccidia is a subclass of microscopic, spore-forming, single-celled obligate parasites belonging to the apicomplexan class Conoidasida. Coccidian parasites infect the intestinal tracts of animals, and are the largest group of apicomplexan protozoa....
, and dependovirus, a genus of
Parvovirus
Parvovirus
Parvovirus, often truncated to "parvo", is both the common name in English casually applied to all the viruses in the Parvoviridae taxonomic family, and also the taxonomic name of the Parvovirus genus within the Parvoviridae family...
may play roles in clinical presentation of disease. Husbandry factors such as temperature range, diet, population density, and other stressors also are likely to play significant roles in clinical presentation.
Testing
- Electron Microscopy or ‘EM’ testing is available through the University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine, Center for Microscopic Imaging (CMI)
- Polymerase chain reactionPolymerase chain reactionThe polymerase chain reaction is a scientific technique in molecular biology to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence....
or 'PCR' based testing is available through the University of FloridaUniversity of FloridaThe University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
- this laboratory requires samples to be submitted by a veterinarian.
Treatment
As of this revision of this article no vaccine, treatment or cure for Agamid Adenovirus 1 has been found.Further reading
- Immunochromatography Test for Rapid Diagnosis of Adenovirus Respiratory Tract Infections: Comparison with Virus Isolation in Tissue Culture JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MICROBIOLOGY, June 1999
- Adenoviruses in Reptiles, Melissa Kaplan, 2000
External links
- Promoting healthier adenovirus free bearded dragons, The Pogona Adenovirus Testing Society
- http://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/college/departments/sacs/research/documents/Submission%20Form%20for%20PCR.pdfhttp://www.vetmed.ufl.edu/college/departments/sacs/research/documents/SUBMISSION%20PROTOCOL%20FOR%20DNA%20PCR.pdf, Submission form and protocol for PCR at the University of Florida. The University of Florida only accepts submissions by veterinarians.