2016 ACVIM Forum Research Abstract Program

Tateno, Yasuyuki Endo, Masashi Takahashi. Kagoshima University, Kagoshima, Japan Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) are members of an emerging subfamily of the Herpesvividae. The two major human GHVs, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) are clinically important pathogens because those viruses possess tumorigenesis potential especially in immune-compromised patients. In feline practice, we often experience tumor cases, especially lymphomas. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) was a major cause for the development of lymphoma in the past days, however, the majority of lymphoma cases are shifting to FeLVfree cats. But the mechanism of tumorigenesis in these "spontaneously" developed lymphomas has not been well understood. Under this situation, GHV became a candidate which explains the lymphomagenesis in domestic cats. Recent study identified a novel GHV in domestic cats (Felis catus GHV, FcaGHV), and epidemiological surveys found that FcaGHVs are distributing in several countries including the United States, Australia, Singapore, Germany and Austria. In the present study, a molecular epidemiological study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of GHVs in Japan using large numbers of samples which were previously used to a nation-wide epidemiological survey for two feline retroviruses in Japan (Nakamura Y et al., J Vet Med Sci, 72:1051-1056, 2010).