Table 1. Features of exposed tortoises during the TeHV3 outbreak.
| ID tortoise | species | sex | age (years) | location 2012 (ID enclosure) |
location 2013, initial phase (ID enclosure) |
location 2013, second phase (ID enclosure) |
date of onset of clinical signs | list of clinical signs | date of death | herpes-viruses PCR result |
serological result | antiviral treatment^ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | M | >30 | 1 | 3 | 0 | April 07, 2013 | ND | April 11, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 2 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | M | >30 | 1 | 2 | 0 | April 12, 2013 | OD | April 20, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 3 | Testudo hermanni boetgerii | M | 10 | 1 | 4 | 0 | April 12, 2013 | OD | April 14, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 4 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | M | >30 | 1 | 1 | 0 | April 12, 2013 | OD | April 22, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 5 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | M | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | April 13, 2013 | OD; OP | April 14, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 6 | Testudo hermanni boetgerii | M | 10 | 1 | 4 | 4 | April 14, 2013 | OD | April 16, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 7 | Testudo hermanni boetgerii | M | 10 | 1 | 4 | 4 | April 14, 2013 | OD | April 17, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 8 | Testudo hermanni boetgerii | M | >30 | 1 | 4 | 4 | April 20, 2013 | OD | April 25, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 9 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | M | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | April 20, 2013 | OD | April 26, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 10 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | M | 9 | 4 | 4 | 4 | April 20, 2013 | OD; ND | June 17, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 11 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | >30 | 2 | 2 | 3 | April 28, 2013; May 19, 2013§ |
OD; ND§ | May 21, 2013 | + | nc | - |
| 12 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | >30 | 2 | 1 | 2 | May 23, 2013 | OD; OP | June 22, 2013 | + | nc | + |
| 13 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | >30 | 2 | 1 | 2 | August, 2013 | OD; hind limb paresis# | March 17, 2014 | + | nc | + |
| 14 | Testudo graeca ibera | F | >30 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | No | - | + IS |
nc | + |
| 15 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | >30 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | No | July, 2013 | + | nc | + |
| 16 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | 10 | 2 | 3 | 2 | - | No | - | + IS |
nc | - |
| 17 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | >30 | 2 | 3 | 2 | March, 2014† | ND† | March, 2014 | + IS |
nc | - |
| 18 | Testudo marginata | M | 15 | 1 | 2 | 4 | March 17, 2014† | ND† | August, 2014* | +* IS |
+ | - |
| 19 | Testudo graeca ibera | M | 16 | 4 | 4 | 4 | - | No | - | + PS |
+ | - |
| 20 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | >30 | 2 | 1 | 2 | - | No | - | + IS |
+ | - |
| 21 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | >30 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | No | - | - | - | - |
| 22 | Testudo hermanni hermanni | F | >30 | 2 | 2 | 2 | - | No | - | - | - | - |
M: male; F: female
ND: nasal discharge; OD: oral discharge; OP: oral plaques.
IS, intermittent shedder: the tortoise was alternatively positive or negative during the period of monitoring that lasted until December 2014 or until their death (whichever came first).
PS, persistent shedder: the tortoise was consistently positive during the period of monitoring that lasted until December 2014.nc = not conducted. These tortoises died before that the serological tests could be carried out.
^ Antiviral treatment consisted of acyclovir 80 mg/kg/day per os for 30 days.
†: Asymptomatic in the first year of the outbreak and with mild clinical signs the following year.
§: It had recurrent clinical signs
# hindlimb paresis (S1 Video) lasted all year long, even if with partial improvement. At the beginning of the occurrence of the paresis, the tortoise was able to lay 3 eggs. This tortoise partially recovered from the neurological signs, but died during post-hibernation the following year, after having had oral discharge. It was repeatedly positive for TeHV DNA (from OSW) during all the period until its death.
*The PCR was positive during the monitoring but not at the time of the death of the tortoise.
Oral discharge, characterized by the presence of dense mucus, was the main clinical sign, reported in 12 out of the 15 confirmed cases (80%). Nasal discharge (5/15, 33.3%), oral diphtheronecrotic plaques (2/15, 13.3%), neurologic signs (tortoise no. 13) were also present. The majority of the cases (9/15, 60%) died within 10 days from the onset of clinical signs, immediately after hibernation. The tortoises that presumptively became infected later on during the late spring/summer (nos. 10, 11, 12, and 13) had clinical signs that lasted for nearly one month before their death.