Molecular evolution and adaptation of ranavirus

The emergence of infectious disease with a broad host range can have a vast impact on
populations and is a threat to biodiversity. In recent years, amphibians have experienced huge
declines on a global level; one of the reasons for this are a group of pathogens belonging to
the genus Ranavirus. Ranaviruses have the ability to infect a broad host range spanning fish,
reptiles and amphibians, they are expanding to regions previously undetected and have a
diverse range of viral species making them OIE notifiable pathogens. With lineages emerging
across Europe, and the recent discovery of the capability for subclinical infections, it is
imperative that we understand more about these emerging pathogens.
Although ranaviruses have been identified as the cause of mortality events across the globe,
understanding their host and geographical range is hampered by a lack of viral
characterisation. Subclinical infections mean a reassessment of ranaviral prevalence, on the
modes of transmission i.e. is the re-occurrence of ranaviruses each year due to long-standing
cryptic infections, are they responsible for the spread of the virus globally, and viral
characterisation i.e. are subclinical infections caused by new ranavirus species? My
doctoral research will centre around these questions looking at carriers, both in the UK and in the animal trade, as well as generate new genomic data, on an unprecedented scale, that will provide the missing gaps needed to reconstruct the evolutionary history of jumps between species and localities.