20.500.12556/RUL-155782 Herpesvirus and subsequent Usutu virus infection in a great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) at the Ljubljana Zoo, Slovenia Herpesvirus (HV) has been known to cause disease in owls, with various clinical signs and outcomes for the last several decades. The HV DNA polymerase gene was detected in oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs of a male great grey owl (Strix nebulosa) in a zoological collection in Ljubljana, Slovenia. In the following 4 months, despite continuous HV detection in swabs, no clinical signs with a clear link to HV disease were observed. Hepatoprotective and immunostimulant therapies applied during this period did not prevent HV shedding. Therefore, peroral antiviral therapy with acyclovir (150 mg/kg q24 h for seven days) was performed, and the owl tested negative at the next sampling and remained negative for the next 8 months. After that, the owl again tested positive for HV presence, and the same protocol with antiviral therapy was performed. After 3 weeks with a negative test for HV presence, without any clinical signs of illness, the owl suddenly died because of Usutu virus (USUV) infection. Among all the owls at the zoo, interestingly, only the HV-positive great grey owl died because of USUV infection. The USUV sequence detected and obtained in this study clusters together with other Europe 2 sequences detected in neighboring countries. Our study shows the potential of acyclovir therapy in the prevention of herpesvirus shedding and, moreover, lowering the possibility for spreading HV to other owls and birds. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of HV presence and USUV infection in a great grey owl in Slovenia. herpesvirus Usutu virus great grey owl polymerase chain reaction zoo Slovenia PCR RT-PCR true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2024-04-17 14:21:46 2024-04-17 14:21:50 2025-01-30 14:01:07 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2024 0 0 11 str. iss. 8, art. 1200 Vol. 14 2024 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno NiDoloceno 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 636.09:578:616 2076-2615 10.3390/ani14081200 192861699 animals-14-01200-v2.pdf animals-14-01200-v2.pdf 1 3D57E067A3F60E56593120C9A5B13BAE e4a43460ee8978d1acfa0796ce4eb1855ab7e352e9efd7cc4b797677a6587a02 6a327645-de52-11ef-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=198887 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/14/8/1200 0 ac6cf2ec-de51-11ef-b232-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=198886 Veterinarska fakulteta 0 0 0