Investigating the epidemiology of Terrapene herpesvirus 1 in freeranging eastern box turtle populations

Abstract

Herpesviruses are ubiquitous, well described pathogens in captive chelonians worldwide, but their importance on free-ranging populations are less defined. In this thesis, a quantitative PCR was developed that detected a 58 base pair segment of the DNA polymerase gene segment of Terrapene herpesvirus 1 (Order: Herpesvirales; Family: Herpesviridae; Subfamily: Alphaherpesvirinae; Genus: Scutavirus). This assay was used to estimate prevalence of herpesvirus infection in 409 free-ranging eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) from Tennessee and Illinois. The overall prevalence in this study population was 31.3% (95% confidence interval: 27-36%), with a significantly higher prevalence in July (52.3%; 95% CI: 41-59%) compared to May (13.3%; 95% CI: 5-15%) and September (34.4%; 95% CI: 29-47%). Clinical signs recorded in box turtles were not significantly associated with herpesvirus infection and may be attributed to a latency period. The work presented in this thesis aids in characterizing the epidemiology of herpesvirus in chelonians.