Antigenetic Relationship Between Three Members of Paramyxoviridae Isolated from Different Snakes

Abstract

Viruses of poikilothermic vertebrates have not been studied extensively up to now. Apart from the fish-pathogenic viruses (Ahne, 1985), there are some reports on viruses occurring in Amphibia (Granoff, 1969), but the literature concerning Reptilia-associated viruses are very few in number (Ahne, 1977; Lunger and Clark, 1978; Clark and Lunger, 1980; Hoff et al., 1984; Jabobson, 1986). Viruses associated with Reptilia are usually described as “arboviruses” because such viruses multiply in hematophagous arthropods and the poikilothermic vertebrates serve only as reservoirs. However, a disease outbreak in snakes showing respiratory signs and nervous symptoms was reported in Switzerland (Foelsch and Leloup, 1976) and the causal agent has been identified as a paramyxovirus isolated from lung tissue of a dead (Bothrops atrox) (Clark et al., 1979). Previously we presented data of the isolation of a myxovirus like particles from the snake Gonosoma oxycephala (Ahne et al., 1987). Here we report on the comparison of three pleomorphic RNA viruses isolated from different snakes (Gonosoma oyxcephala, Morelia argus, Bitis nasicornis).