ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses viral infections and viral diseases of reptiles. Herpesviruses are found in many different orders of vertebrates, and those infecting reptiles, birds, and mammals are grouped in the family Herpesviridae, within the order Herpesvirales. Herpesviridae have been further divided into the subfamilies Alphaherpesvirinae, Betaherpesvirinae , and Gammaherpesvirinae , initially based on properties of infection, host range, and behavior in culture. A virus with the morphological appearance of a herpesvirus has been shown to be the causative agent of epizootics of skin lesions termed gray patch disease (GPD) in young Green Turtles between 56 and 90 days after hatching in aquaculture. Fibropapillomatosis (FP) was first reported in sea turtles over 70 years ago when tumors were identified in Green Turtles from the Florida Keys. A biopsy sample was collected from an adult Eastern Box Turtle with recurrent papillomatous skin lesions. Histologic examination revealed variable papillary hyperplastic stratified epithelium supported by inflamed fibrous connective tissue.
