Global Ranavirus Consortium
Introduction
The scientific community is increasingly aware that emerging
infectious diseases pose a significant threat to global biodiversity. A group of viruses in the genus Ranavirus (Family Iridoviridae)
cause disease in amphibians, reptiles and fish, and appear to be emerging in
some populations. Ranavirus-associated die-offs in larval and
adult amphibians have been documented in the Americas, Europe, and Asia, with
death rates often exceeding 90% during an outbreak. Ranavirus infections also have been reported
in wild and cultured fish populations worldwide. While research on reptiles has been slower to
accumulate, recent evidence suggests that ranaviruses are capable of causing
morbidity and mortality in free-ranging populations. The capability of ranaviruses causing disease
in poikilothermic animals belonging to three
vertebrate classes emphasizes the potential risk of these pathogens to global
biodiversity.
The Global Ranavirus
Consortium (GRC) was formed following the First
International Symposium on Ranaviruses.
The goal of the GRC is to facilitate communication and collaboration
among scientists and veterinarians conducting research on ranaviruses and
diagnosing cases of ranaviral disease.
Since formation, the GRC has published 3 popular articles on the 2011
Symposium and began organizing for the Second International Symposium on
Ranaviruses, which will be held 27 – 29 July 2013 concurrently with the
International Conference of the Wildlife Disease Association in Knoxville,
Tennessee, USA. If you are interested in
helping organize, please contact Dr. Amanda Duffus (see below). The GRC also intends to form globally
regional discussion groups to help facilitate the transfer of information among
scientists, and has created a website with recent
publications. If you would like to
be listed as a GRC scientist or contribute to activities, please contact Dr.
Matthew Gray (see below). We also encourage interested students and scientists
to join the GRC LISTSERV (see below).
Executive Board
1.
Matthew Gray,
Ph.D.
Director, University of Tennessee
2.
Jesse Brunner,
Ph.D.
Associate Director, Washington State University
3.
Amanda Duffus,
Ph.D.
Secretary/Treasurer, Gordon College
4.
Yumi Une,
D.V.M., Ph.D.
Asia Representative, Azabu
University
5.
Ellen Ariel,
Ph.D.
Australia Representative, James Cook University
6.
Rachel
Marschang, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Europe Representative,
Universität Hohenheim
7.
Thomas Waltzek,
D.V.M., Ph.D.
North America Representative, University of Florida
8.
Rolando Mazzoni,
D.V.M., Ph.D.
South America Representative, Universidade Federal de Goiás
9.
Greg Chinchar,
Ph.D.
Honorary Advisor, University of Mississippi Medical
Center
Participating Scientists
1.
Matthew C.
Allender, D.V.M., Ph.D.
University of Illinois, College of Veterinary Medicine
Department
of Comparative Biosciences
mcallend@illinois.edu; 217-265-0320
Expertise: Ranavirus pathology in chelonians (USA)
James Cook University
School of
Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences
Ellen.Ariel@jcu.edu.au; +61 747 81 4123
Expertise: Ranaviruses in fish and chelonians (EU and
Australia)
3.
Ana Balseiro, D.V.M.,
Ph.D.
Servicio Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario
Centro de Biotecnología Animal
abalseiro@serida.org; 00 34 984 50 20 10
Expertise: Ranavirus pathology in amphibians (EU:
Spain)
4.
Britt Bang Jensen, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Norwegian
Veterinary Institute
Section for
Epidemiology
britt-bang.jensen@vetinst.no;
+47 23216360
Expertise: Epidemiology of ranaviruses, especially fish
(EU)
5.
Silvia Blahak,
D.V.M.
Chemical
and Veterinary Investigational Laboratory (CVUA-OWL)
silvia.blahak@cvua-owl.de; 0049 5231 911640
Expertise: Ranaviruses in reptiles (EU: Germany)
Department of
Biology
craigbrunetti@trentu.ca;
705-748-1011
Expertise: Genetics and Bioinformatics of Ranaviruses
(Canada)
School of
Biological Sciences
Jesse.Brunner@wsu.edu;
509-335-3702
Expertise: Ecology of Ranaviruses (USA)
Past
research:
(1) Ecology of ATV in isolated tiger salamander populations in Arizona: transmission, persistence, and virulence.
(2)
Ranavirus
epidemiology in the Northeast USA.
(3) The effects of natural challenges and stress on susceptibility to ranavirus infection.
Current
research:
(1)
Larval
behaviors, contact rates, and the form and function of ranavirus transmission
(2) Ranavirus persistence in and transmission from the environment.
(3) Sketching out the phylogeography of FV3-like ranaviruses.
(4) Establishing the potential host range of various ranavirus isolates.
Department of Microbiology
vchinchar@umc.edu;
601-984-1743
Expertise: Gene Function of Ranaviruses (USA)
9.
Andrew A. Cunningham, Ph.D., BVMS
Institute of Zoology
a.cunningham@ioz.ac.uk; 020
7449 6674
Expertise: Epidemiology of ranaviruses (England)
Division of
Mathematics and Natural Sciences
aduffus@gdn.edu; 678-359-5464
Expertise:
Ecology of Ranaviruses (England, Canada, and USA)
Past research:
(1)
Ranavirus-host
associations in UK amphibians.
(2)
Life
history stages of the common frog (Rana temporaria) affected by ranavirus infections.
(3)
Modeling
ranavirus dynamics and persistence in a single host species, the common frog.
(4)
Phylogenetics of UK
ranavirus isolates.
(5)
Community
ecology of ranavirus infections in pond dwelling amphibians, in Ontario,
Canada.
(6)
Effects
of immunosuppressant agents on the development of ranavirus infections.
Current research:
(1)
Mathematical
modeling of ranavirus-amphibian systems.
Institute of
Zoology
trent.garner@ioz.ac.uk; 0041
(0) 207 4496687
Expertise:
Population genetics and epidemiology of ranaviruses (England)
mgray11@utk.edu; 865-974-2740
Expertise:
Ecology of ranaviruses (USA)
Past research:
(1)
Ranavirus surveillance in Tennessee amphibian
communities.
(2)
Impacts of anuran development and the threat of
predation on susceptibility to ranavirus.
(3)
Estimating the relative susceptibility of North American
amphibians to ranaviruses.
(4)
Determining the effects of amphibian community
composition of ranavirus emergence.
(5)
Exploring the possibility of interclass transmission
of ranaviruses among amphibians, reptiles and fish.
Current research:
(1)
Is evolution of host immunity and virus pathogenicity related to geographic isolation?
(2)
Determining the occurrence of ranavirus superspreading by an amphibian host: a test of the 20-80
rule (Lloyd-Smith et al. 2005)
(3)
Can ranaviruses cause population extirpation and species
extinction: case studies with the Mississippi gopher frog, Chiricahua
leopard frog and wood frog
(4)
Temperature effects on ranavirus-host interactions: a
test of viral replication versus temperature-induced stress
degreen@usgs.gov; 608-270-2482
Expertise:
Pathology of ranaviruses (USA)
Department of Forestry and Natural Resources
jhoverm@purdue.edu; 765-496-3263
Expertise:
Ecology of ranaviruses (USA)
Australian Animal Health Laboratory
alex.hyatt@csiro.au;
+61 3 52275419
Expertise: Phylogenetics and
ecology of ranaviruses (Australia)
California
State University-San Marcos
Department of Biological
Sciences
jjancovich@csusm.edu; 760-750-8525
Expertise:
Phylogenetics and evolution of ranaviruses
(USA)
17.
April
Johnson, D.V.M., M.P.H., Ph.D
Purdue
University, School of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Comparative Pathobiology
JohnsonAJ@purdue.edu; 765-494-0562
Expertise:
Ranaviruses in chelonians (USA)
18.
Somkiat
Kanchanakhan, Ph.D.
Inland
Fishery and Research Development Bureau, Thailand
Inland Aquatic Animal
Health Research Institute
kanchanakhan@yahoo.com; 662 579 4122
Expertise:
Ranaviruses in fish and amphibians; OIE Expert (Southeast Asia)
University
of South Dakota
Biology Department
Jacob.Kerby@usd.edu;
605-677-6170
Expertise:
Ranaviruses and Stressors (USA)
Utrecht University and Dutch
Wildlife Health Centre
Veterinary Medicine
info@kikdierenarts.nl;
0031 030-2537925
Expertise:
Ranavirus pathology (EU: Netherlands)
Laurentian
University
Department of Biology
dlesbarreres@laurentian.ca;
+1 (705) 675-1151 ext. 2275
Expertise: Ecology of Ranaviruses (Canada)
Universität Hohenheim
Institut für
Umwelt und Tierhygiene
rachel.marschang@googlemail.com;
+49 711 459 22468
Expertise: Ranaviruses in Reptiles (EU: Germany)
Universidade Federal de Goiás
Laboratório de Diagnóstico de Doenças de Organismos
Aquáticos
rolo1001@gmail.com;
00 55 623 521 1576
Expertise: Ranavirus pathology and ranaviruses in
bullfrog farms (South America)
24.
Debra
L. Miller, D.V.M., Ph.D.
University of Tennessee, Center for Wildlife Health
College of
Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiology
dmille42@utk.edu;
865-974-7948
Expertise: Pathology of ranaviruses in ectothermic vertebrates (USA)
25.
Angela M. Picco,
Ph.D.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Angela_Picco@fws.gov;
916-414-6490
Expertise: Pathogen pollution and amphibian trade (USA)
26.
Jolianne
Rijks, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Dutch Wildlife Health Centre
J.M.Rijks@uu.nl; 0031 030-2534366
Expertise:
Ranavirus epidemiology (EU: Netherlands)
University of Rochester Medical Center
Department of
Microbiology and Immunology
jacques_robert@urmc.rochester.edu;
585-275-1722
Expertise: Immunological responses to ranavirus
infection (USA)
Keyano College
danna.schock@keyano.ca;
780-791-4816
Expertise: Ecology of Ranavirus (Canada and USA)
29.
Annemarieke
Spitzen, M.S.
RAVON (Reptile, Amphibian and Fish Conservation
Netherlands)
Department of
Science and Conservation
a.spitzen@ravon.nl; 0031 24
7410600
Expertise: Amphibian host range of ranaviruses (EU:
Netherlands)
Washington State University
School of
Biological Sciences
astorfer@wsu.edu; 509-335-7922
Expertise: Evolution of Ranaviruses (USA)
31.
Yumi Une, D.V.M.
Azabu University, School of Veterinary Medicine
Laboratory of Veterinary Pathology
une@azabu-u.ac.jp;
+81-42-769-1628
Expertise: Pathology of Ranaviruses (Japan)
32.
Thomas
B. Waltzek, D.V.M., Ph.D.
Univerisity of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine
Department of Infectious
Diseases and Pathology
tbwaltzek@ufl.edu; 530-574-2976
Expertise:
Phylogenetics of iridoviruses
(USA)
GRC LISTSERV
To post to the GRC listserv, send an email to GRC@LISTSERV.UTK.EDU. Appropriate
content for posting includes (but is not limited to) sharing information on
recent ranavirus die-offs, research findings, or publications; asking questions
or discussing topics related to ranaviruses or ranaviral disease; and providing
information about GRC activities. Anyone
can post to the listserv (including non-members) and all postings are archived and
can be viewed by the public. If you
would like to become a member of the GRC listserv, you can join at this
website: http://listserv.utk.edu/cgi-bin/wa?A0=GRC.
To unsubscribe, send "SIGNOFF
GRC" command to LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UTK.EDU
or contact Matthew Gray (mgray11@utk.edu).
Other Resources
Other links (to be added)
