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Measurement of γHV68 Infection in Mice
Published on: November 22, 2011
Gammaherpesvirus infection in a free-ranging eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus)
R S Wilcox1, P Vaz, N P Ficorilli
1Help for Wildlife, Coldstream, Victoria, Australia. bbec_vet@hotmail.com
Abstract:
A gammaherpesvirus was detected by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) in ocular, nasal and oropharyngeal swab samples collected from an adult free-ranging male eastern grey kangaroo (Macropus giganteus) with clinical signs of severe respiratory disease. This is the first time a gammaherpesvirus has been detected in a free-ranging macropod in Australia. The nucleotide sequence of a conserved region of the DNA polymerase gene of the detected virus showed a high degree of identity to a gammaherpesvirus recently detected in a zoological collection of eastern grey kangaroos in North America. The detection of this gammaherpesvirus in a free-ranging, native eastern grey kangaroo provides evidence that this species is a natural host.
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