Phylogentic Analysis of 24 Ranavirus Isolates from English Amphibians using 2 Partial Loci

Ranaviruses emerged in the UK over 25 years ago. Despite declines and disease, seen in two common amphibian species, only preliminary attempts have been made to isolate and characterize the virus(es) causing declines. In previous studies, different species of amphibians were opportunistically sampled and screened for the presence of the major capsid protein (MCP) gene of Frog virus 3 (FV3). Here, portions of both the MCP and open reading frame 57r, an eIF-2α homologue, were sequenced and used to make inferences about the relationships between the different isolates. The geographic clustering of related sequences and phylogenetic trees based on the predicted amino acid sequences provide evidence that Ranavirus was introduced into England on three separate occasions. High homology between all Ranavirus isolates, regardless of species of origin or diseases status, reinforces previous evidence that these viruses are multi-host pathogens. Additionally, our results show high sequence homology with other emerging Ranavirus strains isolated from amphibians, which is a cause for increased conservation concern.