Skelhorn
Very Well-Known Member
Not to sure if this has been posted but I have received it from a friend today.
If its legit then suppose if not the perfect time (as always tho) to be really careful with new snakes you receive and putting snakes together for breeding
A University of Florida researcher and colleagues in Australia and
Germany have discovered what might be a deadly new snake virus. Dubbed
the "Sunshine virus" because of its discovery in Australia's Sunshine
Coast region [north of Brisbane on the east coast -- see map at end. -
Mod.JW], the [pathogen] causes nervous system and respiratory disease
and is the 1st of its kind to be identified. Although it is in the
same overall family as other viruses that affect snakes and lizards,
the Sunshine virus doesn't fit into existing subgroups of viruses.
The discovery, described online and in the upcoming October 2012 print
edition of the journal [of] Infection, Genetics and Evolution, might
help scientists better understand the biology and origin of an
important group of disease-causing organisms and inform efforts to
prevent future outbreaks.
"Understanding the ecology and diversity of infectious diseases of
wildlife is critical," said co-author James Wellehan, an assistant
professor of zoological medicine at the UF College of Veterinary
Medicine. "While medicine has traditionally waited for big outbreaks
to cause large numbers of deaths and then dealt with new diseases
reactively, an understanding of what viruses are out there and how
they can be expected to behave allows us to be proactive, being aware
of and monitoring agents of potential concern."
The emergence in recent years of deadly new viruses that attack humans
has raised concerns regarding transmission between wildlife, livestock
and humans. For example, the Hendra and Nipah viruses caused high
rates of death in Australia and Indonesia in the 1990s, not just among
horses and pigs but also among humans.
The quest to identify the new virus started as an investigation of the
cause of a 2008 disease outbreak in a privately owned Australian
collection of 70 pythons. As more and more animals became sick,
showing signs of pneumonia, depression, lethargy and abnormal behavior
such as "star gazing" -- staring up at things -- they were all
eventually euthanized.
The researchers had great difficulty detecting the elusive virus and
struggled to identify the category in which it belonged. "We screened
more than 450 samples, including swabs, tissues and blood for snake
viruses," said lead author Timothy Hyndman, a lecturer and graduate
student at Murdoch University in Australia. "It was very frustrating.
After 2 and a half years, we finally isolated something. A year later,
we figured out what it was."
The researchers infected snake heart cells with virus collected from
tissues of the affected snakes and found that it caused the cells to
become abnormally large and have more than one nucleus, the cell's
command center. Using sophisticated techniques for analyzing large
numbers of genetic sequences at the same time, the researchers
identified several that had limited similarity to known viruses in
large genetic databases. They used this information to put together
the genetic blueprint of the Sunshine virus.
Statistical analyses that allow construction of a "family tree" showed
that the Sunshine virus belonged to a family called paramyxovirus.
That family contains some of the most significant disease-causing
agents in animals and humans, according to the National Center for
Biotechnology Information. Measles, mumps and canine distemper are all
in the family. But unlike all known snake and lizard viruses in that
family, the new virus did not fit into a subgroup called ferlavirus.
The new virus is only distantly related to those viruses.
"This is the 1st non-ferlavirus paramyxovirus to be discovered from a
reptile," Hyndman said. "In the previous 40 years, reptilian
paramyxoviruses were all very similar until this one was discovered."
Previously known members of the virus family have grouped into 2
subfamilies. The Sunshine virus fell outside both of those known
groups. Inclusion of Sunshine virus in the family tree analysis showed
that viruses thought to be in the same subfamilies might not actually
share recent ancestors, the researchers said.
"The 2 subfamilies may need to be split up into distinct families,"
Wellehan said.
Although it is likely that the virus was responsible for the outbreak
of disease in the collection of pythons, that has not been proved
irrefutably.
The study shows how sophisticated gene sequencing technology can be
used to characterize mysterious new viruses and possibly speed up
public health responses to outbreaks in humans, animals and plants,
the researchers said.
"This virus was invisible to prior technologies," said Eric Delwart,
director of molecular virology at the Blood Systems Research Institute
and an adjunct professor of laboratory medicine at the University of
California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study. "Besides
providing assays to help track and control outbreaks of this new snake
virus, the study highlights the enhanced ability of scientists to
rapidly identify novel pathogens."
If its legit then suppose if not the perfect time (as always tho) to be really careful with new snakes you receive and putting snakes together for breeding
A University of Florida researcher and colleagues in Australia and
Germany have discovered what might be a deadly new snake virus. Dubbed
the "Sunshine virus" because of its discovery in Australia's Sunshine
Coast region [north of Brisbane on the east coast -- see map at end. -
Mod.JW], the [pathogen] causes nervous system and respiratory disease
and is the 1st of its kind to be identified. Although it is in the
same overall family as other viruses that affect snakes and lizards,
the Sunshine virus doesn't fit into existing subgroups of viruses.
The discovery, described online and in the upcoming October 2012 print
edition of the journal [of] Infection, Genetics and Evolution, might
help scientists better understand the biology and origin of an
important group of disease-causing organisms and inform efforts to
prevent future outbreaks.
"Understanding the ecology and diversity of infectious diseases of
wildlife is critical," said co-author James Wellehan, an assistant
professor of zoological medicine at the UF College of Veterinary
Medicine. "While medicine has traditionally waited for big outbreaks
to cause large numbers of deaths and then dealt with new diseases
reactively, an understanding of what viruses are out there and how
they can be expected to behave allows us to be proactive, being aware
of and monitoring agents of potential concern."
The emergence in recent years of deadly new viruses that attack humans
has raised concerns regarding transmission between wildlife, livestock
and humans. For example, the Hendra and Nipah viruses caused high
rates of death in Australia and Indonesia in the 1990s, not just among
horses and pigs but also among humans.
The quest to identify the new virus started as an investigation of the
cause of a 2008 disease outbreak in a privately owned Australian
collection of 70 pythons. As more and more animals became sick,
showing signs of pneumonia, depression, lethargy and abnormal behavior
such as "star gazing" -- staring up at things -- they were all
eventually euthanized.
The researchers had great difficulty detecting the elusive virus and
struggled to identify the category in which it belonged. "We screened
more than 450 samples, including swabs, tissues and blood for snake
viruses," said lead author Timothy Hyndman, a lecturer and graduate
student at Murdoch University in Australia. "It was very frustrating.
After 2 and a half years, we finally isolated something. A year later,
we figured out what it was."
The researchers infected snake heart cells with virus collected from
tissues of the affected snakes and found that it caused the cells to
become abnormally large and have more than one nucleus, the cell's
command center. Using sophisticated techniques for analyzing large
numbers of genetic sequences at the same time, the researchers
identified several that had limited similarity to known viruses in
large genetic databases. They used this information to put together
the genetic blueprint of the Sunshine virus.
Statistical analyses that allow construction of a "family tree" showed
that the Sunshine virus belonged to a family called paramyxovirus.
That family contains some of the most significant disease-causing
agents in animals and humans, according to the National Center for
Biotechnology Information. Measles, mumps and canine distemper are all
in the family. But unlike all known snake and lizard viruses in that
family, the new virus did not fit into a subgroup called ferlavirus.
The new virus is only distantly related to those viruses.
"This is the 1st non-ferlavirus paramyxovirus to be discovered from a
reptile," Hyndman said. "In the previous 40 years, reptilian
paramyxoviruses were all very similar until this one was discovered."
Previously known members of the virus family have grouped into 2
subfamilies. The Sunshine virus fell outside both of those known
groups. Inclusion of Sunshine virus in the family tree analysis showed
that viruses thought to be in the same subfamilies might not actually
share recent ancestors, the researchers said.
"The 2 subfamilies may need to be split up into distinct families,"
Wellehan said.
Although it is likely that the virus was responsible for the outbreak
of disease in the collection of pythons, that has not been proved
irrefutably.
The study shows how sophisticated gene sequencing technology can be
used to characterize mysterious new viruses and possibly speed up
public health responses to outbreaks in humans, animals and plants,
the researchers said.
"This virus was invisible to prior technologies," said Eric Delwart,
director of molecular virology at the Blood Systems Research Institute
and an adjunct professor of laboratory medicine at the University of
California, San Francisco, who was not involved in the study. "Besides
providing assays to help track and control outbreaks of this new snake
virus, the study highlights the enhanced ability of scientists to
rapidly identify novel pathogens."
