Detection and characterisation of multiple herpesviruses in free-living Western European hedgehogs (Erinaceus europaeus).

ABSTRACT: Sporadic cases of herpesvirus-associated disease have been reported in the Western European hedgehog (Erinaceus europaeus), but there has been little surveillance for, nor any sequence characterisation of, herpesviruses in this species to date. A nested pan-herpesvirus polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting a region of the DNA polymerase gene was used to test 129 Western European hedgehogs from across Great Britain, 2011-2016; 59 (46%) of which were PCR-positive. In addition, samples from two previously published cases of fatal herpesvirus infection in E. europaeus, from Sweden and Switzerland, were positive using this PCR. No statistically significant relationship was detected between PCR result and sex, age class, year or season for the British hedgehogs tested. In most PCR-positive a

SUBMITTER: Hydeskov HB 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6141580 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature