Nidovirus-Associated Proliferative Pneumonia in the Green Tree Python (Morelia viridis).

ABSTRACT: In 2014 we observed a noticeable increase in the number of sudden deaths among green tree pythons (Morelia viridis). Pathological examination revealed the accumulation of mucoid material within the airways and lungs in association with enlargement of the entire lung. We performed a full necropsy and histological examination on 12 affected green tree pythons from 7 different breeders to characterize the pathogenesis of this mucinous pneumonia. By histology we could show a marked hyperplasia of the airway epithelium and of faveolar type II pneumocytes. Since routine microbiological tests failed to identify a causative agent, we studied lung tissue samples from a few diseased snakes by next-generation sequencing (NGS). From the NGS data we could assemble a piece of RNA genome whose sequence w

SUBMITTER: Dervas E 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5640870 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature