Equine sarcoid of the glans penis with bovine papillomavirus type 1 in a miniature horse (Falabella).

A 23-year-old Falabella gelding kept in Tochigi, Japan, for more than 20 years presented with a recurrent mass of the glans penis that was first noticed about a year earlier. Partial phallectomy was performed with no adjunctive therapy for local regrowth of the mass. The horse was euthanized 3 months after surgery for urinary retention due to suspected regrowth. The resected mass affected the genital and urethral mucosa of the glans penis, and was diagnosed as equine sarcoid by histopathology and identification of bovine papillomavirus (BPV) DNA. Phylogenetic analysis of the BPV genome of the sarcoid showed high sequence homology to BPV type 1 (BPV-1) from Hokkaido, Japan, suggesting a geographical relationship for BPV-1 in Japan.

Novel herpesvirus discovered in walrus liver.

A walrus (Odobenus rosmarus) born in an aquarium and hand-reared in Japan died at the age of 11 months. The affected animal showed fever and anorexia and had high levels of AST and ALT. Necropsy showed multiple necroses in the liver and adrenal glands and histological examination revealed necrotic lesions of the liver and adrenal cortex, both of which contained intranuclear inclusions. Electron microscopic analysis of the liver sample showed herpesvirus-like particles. High-throughput sequencing analysis of the liver sample and phylogenetic analysis of herpesvirus polymerase genes identified a new virus, Walrus alphaherpesvirus 1 (WaHV-1), which belonged to the subfamily Alphaherpesvirinae and had high homology with Phocid alphaherpesvirus 1. Phylogenetic analysis of the UL30 gene encoding glycoprotein B revealed that WaHV-1 was closely related to a cluster of phocid herpesviruses, including one that caused high mortality rates in harbor seals during past outbreaks. The mother walrus of the dead animal showed evidence of herpesvirus infection in the past and potentially harbored WaHV-1. As a result of hand-rearing, the dead animal might have acquired WaHV-1 from its infected mother and succumbed to WaHV-1 due to lack of maternal IgG, including those that could neutralize WaHV-1.

Identification, characterization and full-length sequence analysis of a novel dsRNA virus isolated from the arboreal ant Camponotus yamaokai.

A novel dsRNA virus was identified from the arboreal ant Camponotus yamaokai. The complete nucleotide sequence analysis of the virus revealed that the virus consisted of 5704 bp with two ORFs. ORF1 (3084 nt) encoded a putative capsid protein. ORF2 (1977 nt) encoded a viral RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). ORF2 could be translated as a fusion with the ORF1 product by a - 1 frameshift in the overlapping ORF1. Phylogenetic analyses based on the RdRp revealed that the virus from C. yamaokai was most likely a novel totivirus, but it was not closely related to the previously known totiviruses in arthropods. Transmission electron microscopy revealed isometric virus particles of ~30 nm diameter in the cytoplasm, which was consistent with the characteristics of the family Totiviridae. The virus was detected by reverse transcription-PCR in all caste members and developmental stages of ants, including eggs, larvae, pupae, adult workers, alates (male and female) and queens. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a member of the family Totiviridae in a hymenopteran; the virus was designated Camponotus yamaokai virus.