Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, cilt.128, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
Gammaherpesviruses (GHVs) are a diverse and rapidly expanding group of viruses that have been associated with a wide range of disease conditions in both humans and animals. This study applied a degenerate pan-GHV PCR approach to investigate the presence of GHVs in domestic cats sampled in Ankara, Türkiye. A total of 331 diagnostic samples, including conjunctival, nasal, and oropharyngeal swabs, and EDTA-anticoagulated blood samples, were collected from 107 domestic cats ( Felis catus ) diagnosed with or without upper respiratory tract disease (URTD). All samples were investigated for the presence of feline gammaherpesviruses using a PCR assay with a degenerate pan-gammaherpesvirus primer set. Gammaherpesvirus DNA was detected in three samples (two conjunctival swabs; one nasal swab) obtained from three different cats. Following detection of GHV DNA, sequence analyses were performed using both generic primer pairs and Bovine gammaherpesivirus 4 (BoGHV-4) specific primer pairs targeting the glycoprotein B (gB) and thymidine kinase (TK) gene regions. In addition, all samples were tested for Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1); however, no FcaGHV1 DNA was detected in any of the samples analyzed. The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the detected viral sequences clustered separately from BoGHV-4 strains previously identified in other animal species. To our knowledge, this study provides the first molecular evidence of BoGHV-4 infection in domestic cats in Türkiye. Further molecular and epidemiological characterization of these viruses may have important implications for understanding feline health, and may also contribute to a better understanding of gammaherpesvirus ecology in both domestic and free-ranging felid populations.