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. 2019 Feb 20;9(1):2340.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-39674-5.

Water sports could contribute to the translocation of ranaviruses

Rosa Casais  1 , Asier R Larrinaga  2 , Kevin P Dalton  3 , Paula Domínguez Lapido  2 , Isabel Márquez  1 , Eloy Bécares  4 , E Davis Carter  5 , Matthew J Gray  5 , Debra L Miller  5 , Ana Balseiro  6
Affiliations

Water sports could contribute to the translocation of ranaviruses

Rosa Casais et al. Sci Rep. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Ranaviruses have been identified as the cause of explosive disease outbreaks in amphibians worldwide and can be transmitted between hosts both via direct and indirect contact, in which humans might contribute to the translocation of contaminated material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible role of water sports in the human translocation of ranavirus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal). A total of 234 boats were sampled during the spring Spanish Canoe Championship which took place in Pontillón de Castro, a reservoir with a history of ranavirosis, in May 2017. Boats were tested for the presence of ranavirus and Batrachochytrium spp. DNA, using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction techniques (qPCR). A total of 22 swabs (22/234, 9.40%) yielded qPCR-positive results for Ranavirus DNA while Bd or Bsal were not detected in any of the samples. We provide the first evidence that human-related water sports could be a source of ranavirus contamination, providing justification for public disinfecting stations in key areas where human traffic from water sports is high.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of kayaks within each ranavirus detection threshold point (Ct) category (a), before and after the Spring Spanish Canoe Championship held in the Pontillón de Castro reservoir (Northwestern Spain) in 2017, and Cts obtained in quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) positive kayaks (b). Samples with a cycle threshold (Ct) ≤35 were considered qPCR positives. Samples with a Ct between 35 and 40 were considered weak qPCR positives. Samples with no or no typical amplification curves were regarded as qPCR negative.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Origin (usual training place) of the participant kayaks in the Spring Spanish Canoe Championship held in the Pontillón de Castro reservoir in 2017, studied for the presence of ranavirus using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Red circles represent training places with at least one positive kayak (threshold point (Ct) ≤35) by qPCR. Yellow circles represent training places with at least one weak positive kayak (Ct between 35 and 40). Green circles represent training places of negative kayaks. Brown, blue and pink stars represent the geographical distribution of Ranavirus (Rv), Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) and B. salamandrivorans (Bsal) in Spain, respectively.
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