Novel herpesviruses in riverine and marine cetaceans from South America

We detected four new cases of herpesvirus infection in skin and oral mucosa of an Atlantic spotted dolphin, a Guiana dolphin, a dwarf sperm whale, and a Bolivian river dolphin from Brazil. [Display omitted] •This is the largest herpesvirus survey in South American cetaceans.•Identification of alpha- and gammaherpesvirus potentially related to skin lesions.•Novel species: Delphinid herpesvirus (HV) 10, Kogiid HV 2 and 3, and Iniid HV 1.•Iniid HV 1 phylogeny could be due to viral coevolution with an isolated host.•Expansion of cetacean herpesvirus host range, and the first in riverine dolphins. Herpesvirus (HV) infections in cetaceans are frequently associated with skin and mucosal lesions. Although HV infections have been reported worldwide, their occurrence in southern Atlantic marine mammals is still poorly understood. We tested skin, oral and genital mucosal beta-actin PCR-positive samples from 109 free-ranging Brazilian cetaceans using a universal herpesvirus DNA polymerase PCR. Herpesvirus-positive skin samples from a Guiana dolphin (Sotalia guianensis), a dwarf sperm whale (Kogia sima), a Bolivian river dolphin (Inia boliviensis), and a lingual sample from an Atlantic spotted dolphin (Stenella frontalis) were histologically evaluated. Additional tissue samples from these animals were also PCR-positive for HV, including a novel sequence obtained from the dwarf sperm whale’s stomach and mesenteric lymph node. Four novel HV species were detected in the Guiana dolphin (one), the dwarf sperm whale (two) and the Bolivian river dolphin (one). The cutaneous lesions (marked, focally extensive, chronic proliferative dermatitis) of the Guiana dolphin and the Bolivian river dolphin were similar to previous HV reports in cetaceans, despite the absence of intranuclear inclusion bodies. This is the largest HV survey in South American cetaceans and the first detection of HV infection in riverine dolphins worldwide.