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Lymphoma outbreak in a GASH:Sal hamster colony

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Abstract

We have detected a high incidence of lymphomas in a colony of GASH:Sal Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). This strain is characterised by its ability to present convulsive crises of audiogenic origin. Almost 16 % (90 males and 60 females) of the 975 animals were affected during a 5-year period by the development of a progressing lymphoid tumour and exhibited similar clinical profiles characterised by lethargy, anorexia, evident abdominal distension, and a rapid disease progression resulting in mortality within 1 to 2 weeks. A TaqMan® probe-based real-time PCR analysis of genomic DNA from different tissue samples of the affected animals revealed the presence of a DNA sequence encoding the hamster polyomavirus (HaPyV) VP1 capsid protein. Additionally, immunohistochemical analysis using HaPyV-VP1-specific monoclonal antibodies confirmed the presence of viral proteins in all hamster tumour tissues analysed within the colony. An indirect ELISA and western blot analysis confirmed the presence of antibodies against the VP1 capsid protein in sera, not only from affected and non-affected GASH:Sal hamsters but also from control hamsters from the same breeding area. The HaPyV genome that accumulated in tumour tissues typically contained deletions affecting the noncoding regulatory region and adjacent sequences coding for the N-terminal part of the capsid protein VP2.

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Acknowledgments

The authors are very grateful to Christine Fast for helpful discussion concerning histopathology, and to Manuel Sánchez Martín and Javier Herrero Turrion for their help in the molecular biology experiments. We acknowledge the support by the European Regional Development Fund 2010/0314/2DP/2.1.1.1.0/10/APIA/VIAA/052 (Tatyana Voronkova) and Spanish JCyL (#SA023A12-2) and USP-USAL 2011-6 (D.E. López) and Fundación Mutua Madrileña AP22592008 (L.J. Muñoz).

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Author notes

  1. Burkhard Jandrig

    Present address: Department of Urology, University Medical Center Magdeburg, 39120, Magdeburg, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Animal Experimentation Service, University of Salamanca, Campus Miguel de Unamuno s/n, 37007, Salamanca, Spain

    Luis J. Muñoz

  2. Department of Cell Biology and Pathology, School of Medicine, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain

    Dolores Ludeña & Dolores E. López

  3. Institute of Biotechnology, Vilnius University, LT-02241, Vilnius, Lithuania

    Alma Gedvilaite & Aurelija Zvirbliene

  4. Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine, 13122, Berlin, Germany

    Burkhard Jandrig

  5. Biomedical Research and Study Centre, Riga, LV-1067, Latvia

    Tatyana Voronkova

  6. Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany

    Rainer G. Ulrich

  7. Institute of Neurosciences of Castilla and León/IBSAL, University of Salamanca, 37007, Salamanca, Spain

    Dolores E. López

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  1. Luis J. Muñoz
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Correspondence to Luis J. Muñoz.

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Muñoz, L.J., Ludeña, D., Gedvilaite, A. et al. Lymphoma outbreak in a GASH:Sal hamster colony. Arch Virol 158, 2255–2265 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1737-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1737-0

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