Python nidoviruses, more than respiratory pathogens

Eva Dervas; Jussi Hepojoki; Teemu Smura; Barbara Prähauser; Katharina Windbichler; Sandra Blumich; Antonio Ramis; Udo Hetzel; Anja Kipar

The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed) is the . https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.10.036640 doi: bioRxiv preprint DISCUSSION 384 Nidoviruses have recently been described as the cause of respiratory tract disease in several 385 python species in the USA and Europe (5, 6, 10, 11), representing an emerging threat to python 386 traders and breeders in particular. The present study aimed to further elucidate the characteristics 387 and relevance of python nidoviruses. Particular emphasis was laid on the potential species 388 specificity of and/or susceptibility to the viruses, their phylogeny and geographic divergence as 389 well as viral shedding and transmission, host cell tropism and type of associated disease. 390 Experimental infection has been shown to reproduce the naturally occurring respiratory disease 391 (7), so our study focused on natural cases from different geographic regions, from breeding 392 colonies that often kept several python species, and from colonies that at least partly worked 393 closely together, exchanging animals. In our study, no differences were noted between the python species in the degree and distribution The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed) is the . https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.10.036640 doi: bioRxiv preprint suggest increased susceptibility of snakes from this genus to nidovirus infection and/or disease, a 409 finding also supported by recent epidemiologic studies (14). In support, the analysis of the viral 410 genomes by NGS did not show differences in the viral genome that would explain the 411 differences in the disease manifestation. One could speculate that each python species has its 412 own nidovirus, and that cross-species transmission of the viruses results in morbidity. Should The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed) is the . https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.10.036640 doi: bioRxiv preprint The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not peer-reviewed) is the . https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.10.036640 doi: bioRxiv preprint Table 1 . Animals, clinical signs, lesions and viral target cells. All animals were from breeding collections in Switzerland (CH) or Spain (E). Breeders CH A-C and CH-F were working closely together, trading/exchanging snakes.