{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,11,15]],"date-time":"2025-11-15T10:28:37Z","timestamp":1763202517964,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":40,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,2]],"date-time":"2021-08-02T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1627862400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Viruses"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Equid and asinine gammaherpesviruses (GHVs; genus Percavirus) are members of the Herpesviridae family. Though GHVs have been reported in horse populations, less studies are available on gammaherpesviral infections in donkeys. This study reports the co-infection with two GHVs in Pantesco breed donkeys, an endangered Italian donkey breed. Samples (n = 124) were collected on a breeding farm in Southern Italy from 40 donkeys, some of which were healthy or presented erosive tongue lesions and\/or mild respiratory signs. Samples were analysed by using a set of nested PCRs targeting the DNA polymerase, glycoprotein B, and DNA-packaging protein genes, and sequence and phylogenetic analyses were performed. Twenty-nine donkeys (72.5%) tested positive, and the presence of Equid gammaherpesvirus 7 and asinine herpesvirus 5 was evidenced. In 11 animals, we found evidence for co-infection with viruses from the two species. Virions with herpesvirus-like morphology were observed by electron microscopic examination, and viruses were successfully isolated in RK-13-KY cell monolayers. The histological evaluation of tongue lesions revealed moderate lympho-granulocytic infiltrates and rare eosinophilic inclusions. The detection of GHVs in this endangered asinine breed suggests the need long-life monitoring within conservation programs and reinforces the need for further investigations of GHV\u2019s pathogenetic role in asinine species.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/v13081527","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,3]],"date-time":"2021-08-03T23:37:21Z","timestamp":1628033841000},"page":"1527","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":3,"title":["Detection and Molecular Characterization of Two Gammaherpesviruses from Pantesco Breed Donkeys during an Outbreak of Mild Respiratory Disease"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1276-0579","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesco","family":"Mira","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9959-128X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"Canuti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, 232 Elizabeth Avenue, St. John\u2019s, NL A1B 3X9, Canada"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6766-9126","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Santina","family":"Di Bella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3461-3353","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Roberto","family":"Puleio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7646-3592","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Antonio","family":"Lavazza","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell\u2019Emilia Romagna \u201cBruno Ubertini\u201d, Via Bianchi n. 9, 25124 Brescia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5775-6058","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Davide","family":"Lelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell\u2019Emilia Romagna \u201cBruno Ubertini\u201d, Via Bianchi n. 9, 25124 Brescia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8902-6383","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Domenico","family":"Vicari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7285-5321","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giuseppa","family":"Purpari","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5768-5782","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Vincenza","family":"Cannella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gabriele","family":"Chiaramonte","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3323-6653","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giorgia","family":"Schir\u00f2","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-3394-2275","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Calogero","family":"Castronovo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Annalisa","family":"Guercio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia \u201cA. Mirri\u201d, Via Gino Marinuzzi n. 3, 90129 Palermo, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,8,2]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"211","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1008064118057","article-title":"Detection of New DNA Polymerase Genes of Known and Potentially Novel Herpesviruses by PCR with Degenerate and Deoxyinosine-Substituted Primers","volume":"18","author":"Ehlers","year":"1999","journal-title":"Virus Genes"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"176","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vetmic.2007.12.013","article-title":"Isolation of a gammaherpesvirus similar to asinine herpesvirus-2 (AHV-2) from a mule and a survey of mules and donkeys for AHV-2 infection by real-time PCR","volume":"130","author":"Bell","year":"2008","journal-title":"Veter. 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