Publications

conservation of genetic uniqueness in remaining populations of red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris l.) in the south of england.	the eurasian red squirrel (sciurus vulgaris) is an emblematic species for conservation, and its decline in the british isles exemplifies the impact that alien introductions can have on native ecosystems. indeed, red squirrels in this region have declined dramatically over the last 60 years due to the spread of squirrelpox virus following the introduction of the gray squirrel (sciurus carolinensis). currently, red squirrel populations in britain are fragmented and need to be closely monitored in ...	2019	31236243
the drivers of squirrelpox virus dynamics in its grey squirrel reservoir host.	many pathogens of conservation concern circulate endemically within natural wildlife reservoir hosts and it is imperative to understand the individual and ecological drivers of natural transmission dynamics, if any threat to a related endangered species is to be assessed. our study highlights the key drivers of infection and shedding dynamics of squirrelpox virus (sqpv) in its reservoir grey squirrel (sciurus carolinensis) population. to clarify sqpv dynamics in this population, longitudinal dat ...	2019	31327730
mortalities, amyloidosis and other diseases in free-living red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) on jersey, channel islands.	between 2007 and 2014, 337 free-living red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) on jersey, channel islands, were examined post mortem as part of a mortality and disease surveillance scheme. road traffic accidents (rtas) were attributable for 50.7 per cent (171/337) of the casualties, 34.4 per cent (116/337) succumbed to diseases including fatal exudative dermatitis (fed), 7.1 per cent (24/337) to predation, 6.5 per cent (22/337) to other trauma and 1.2 per cent (4/337) to suspected poisoning. cat predat ...	2018	30181130
berlin squirrelpox virus, a new poxvirus in red squirrels, berlin, germany.	near berlin, germany, several juvenile red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) were found with moist, crusty skin lesions. histology, electron microscopy, and cell culture isolation revealed an orthopoxvirus-like infection. subsequent pcr and genome analysis identified a new poxvirus (berlin squirrelpox virus) that could not be assigned to any known poxvirus genera.	2017	28930029
host-pathogen dynamics of squirrelpox virus infection in red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris).	to improve our understanding of squirrelpox virus (sqpv) infection in the susceptible host, three red squirrels were challenged with wild-type sqpv via scarification of the hind-limb skin. all squirrels seroconverted to the infection by the end of the experiment (17 days post-challenge). challenged animals suffered disease characterised by the development of multiple skin and oral lesions with rapid progression of skin lesions at the infection site by day 10 post-challenge. no internal pathologi ...	2016	26711024
replicating poxviruses for human cancer therapy.	naturally occurring oncolytic viruses are live, replication-proficient viruses that specifically infect human cancer cells while sparing normal cell counterparts. since the eradication of smallpox in the 1970s with the aid of vaccinia viruses, the vaccinia viruses and other genera of poxviruses have shown various degrees of safety and efficacy in pre-clinical or clinical application for human anti-cancer therapeutics. furthermore, we have recently discovered that cellular tumor suppressor genes ...	2015	25845536
effects of parasitism and morphology on squirrelpox virus seroprevalence in grey squirrels (sciurus carolinensis).	invasive species have been cited as major causes of population extinctions in several animal and plant classes worldwide. the north american grey squirrel (sciurus carolinensis) has a major detrimental effect on native red squirrel (sciurus vulgaris) populations across britain and ireland, in part because it can be a reservoir host for the deadly squirrelpox virus (sqpv). whilst various researchers have investigated the epizootiology of sqpv disease in grey squirrels and have modelled the conseq ...	2014	24416155
squirrelpox virus: assessing prevalence, transmission and environmental degradation.	red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) declined in great britain and ireland during the last century, due to habitat loss and the introduction of grey squirrels (sciurus carolinensis), which competitively exclude the red squirrel and act as a reservoir for squirrelpox virus (sqpv). the disease is generally fatal to red squirrels and their ecological replacement by grey squirrels is up to 25 times faster where the virus is present. we aimed to determine: (1) the seropositivity and prevalence of sqpv dn ...	2014	24586845
european red squirrel population dynamics driven by squirrelpox at a gray squirrel invasion interface.	infectious disease introduced by non-native species is increasingly cited as a facilitator of native population declines, but direct evidence may be lacking due to inadequate population and disease prevalence data surrounding an outbreak. previous indirect evidence and theoretical models support squirrelpox virus (sqpv) as being potentially involved in the decline of red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) following the introduction of the non-native gray squirrel (sciurus carolinensis) to the united k ...	2014	25614793
novel host-related virulence factors are encoded by squirrelpox virus, the main causative agent of epidemic disease in red squirrels in the uk.	squirrelpox virus (sqpv) shows little evidence for morbidity or mortality in north american grey squirrels (sciurus carolinensis), in which the virus is endemic. however, more recently the virus has emerged to cause epidemics with high mortality in eurasian red squirrels (s. vulgaris) in great britain, which are now threatened. here we report the genome sequence of sqpv. comparison with other poxviridae revealed a core set of poxvirus genes, the phylogeny of which showed sqpv to be in a new chor ...	2014	24983354
characterization of a novel poxvirus in a north american red squirrel (tamiasciurus hudsonicus).	in 2009, a novel poxvirus was identified in a north american red squirrel (tamiasciurus hudsonicus) from yukon, canada. initial molecular analyses indicated that this virus was likely to be distinct from all other known mammalian poxviruses, including those previously associated with disease in tree squirrels--squirrel fibroma virus in north america and squirrelpox virus in the uk (uk sqpv). we characterize the canadian squirrelpox virus (canadian sqpv) using dna sequence analysis and negative-c ...	2013	23307385
donkey orchid symptomless virus: a viral 'platypus' from australian terrestrial orchids.	complete and partial genome sequences of two isolates of an unusual new plant virus, designated donkey orchid symptomless virus (dosv) were identified using a high-throughput sequencing approach. the virus was identified from asymptomatic plants of australian terrestrial orchid diuris longifolia (common donkey orchid) growing in a remnant forest patch near perth, western australia. dosv was identified from two d. longifolia plants of 264 tested, and from at least one plant of 129 caladenia latif ...	2013	24223974
squirrelpox virus in red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) in the republic of ireland.	squirrelpox virus (sqpv) is a significant factor in red squirrel (sciurus vulgaris) population declines but has previously been unconfirmed in the republic of ireland. in 2011 a juvenile red squirrel from wicklow presented with facial, perivulval, and nail bed sqpv skin lesions confirmed by histopathology, pcr, and electron microscopy.	2013	24502745
epizootiology and pathologic findings associated with a newly described adenovirus in the red squirrel, sciurus vulgaris.	an infectious disease caused by squirrelpox virus has contributed to the decline of red squirrels, sciurus vulgaris, in the british isles. because of the heightened disease surveillance activity in red squirrels, adenovirus infection with associated mortality has been detected. adenoviral disease is described in other rodent species usually associated with stressors. here we 1) describe the pathologic findings in red squirrels found dead with adenoviral infection and gastrointestinal disease, an ...	2011	21441198
mortality in red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) associated with exudative dermatitis.	red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) found dead or dying on the isle of wight and the island of jersey were suffering from exudative, ulcerative dermatitis and superficial staphylococcal pyoderma. the principal gross lesions were on the lips, eyelids and feet and showed similarities to those of squirrelpox. the histopathological lesions were also similar and, although there was no ballooning degeneration of epidermal cells, intracytoplasmic inclusions resembling those seen in poxvirus infections wer ...	2010	20622205
epidemiology of squirrelpox virus in grey squirrels in the uk.	the dramatic decline of the native red squirrel in the uk has been attributed to both direct and disease-mediated competition with the grey squirrel where the competitor acts as a reservoir host of squirrelpox virus (sqpv). sqpv is threatening red squirrel conservation efforts, yet little is known about its epidemiology. we analysed seroprevalence of antibody against sqpv in grey squirrels from northern england and the scottish borders in relation to season, weather, sex, and body weight using g ...	2010	20412610
epidemiological and postmortem findings in 262 red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) in scotland, 2005 to 2009.	postmortem and virological examinations for squirrelpox virus (sqpv) were carried out on 262 red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) found dead or moribund in scotland between september 2005 and july 2009, to determine the likely causes of death and highlight factors that might be threats to the red squirrel population. most of the squirrels were submitted from dumfries and galloway, and 71 per cent of them were adults. road traffic accidents, squirrelpox, trauma or starvation were responsible for deat ...	2010	20729517
detection of squirrel poxvirus by nested and real-time pcr from red (sciurus vulgaris) and grey (sciurus carolinensis) squirrels.	squirrel poxvirus (sqpv) is highly pathogenic to red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris), and is a significant contributing factor to the local extinction of the species in most parts of england and wales, where infection is endemic in eastern grey squirrel (sciurus carolinensis) populations. although a nested pcr assay has been used successfully to study the epidemiology of sqpv, samples have a long processing time and the assay is not quantifiable.	2010	20529323
poxvirus infection in an american red squirrel (tamiasciurus hudsonicus) from northwestern canada.	there are two recognized poxviruses that are associated with disease in tree squirrels: squirrel fibroma virus (sqfv), leporipoxvirus, which affects eastern grey squirrels (sciurus carolinensis) in eastern north america, and squirrelpox virus (sqpv), a member of a newly identified poxvirus genus, which affects european red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) in the united kingdom. in august 2008, a cutaneous poxvirus-associated disease was identified in a north american red squirrel (tamiasciurus hudso ...	2009	19901387
epidemics of squirrelpox virus disease in red squirrels ( sciurus vulgaris): temporal and serological findings.	squirrelpox virus (sqpv) causes a fatal disease in free-living red squirrels (sciurus vulgaris) which has contributed to their decline in the united kingdom. given the difficulty of carrying out and funding experimental investigations on free-living wild mammals, data collected from closely monitored natural outbreaks of disease is crucial to our understanding of disease epidemiology. a conservation programme was initiated in the 1990s to bolster the population of red squirrels in the coniferous ...	2009	18606024
poxviral disease in red squirrels sciurus vulgaris in the uk: spatial and temporal trends of an emerging threat.	the squirrel poxvirus (sqpv) is the probable mediator of apparent competition between the introduced invading gray squirrel (sciurus carolinensis) and the red squirrel (sciurus vulgaris) in the uk, and modeling studies have shown that this viral disease has had a significant impact on the decline of the red squirrel in the uk. however, given our limited understanding of the epidemiology of the disease, and more generally the effects of invasive species on parasite ecology, there is a need to inv ...	2008	18923872
genomic characterization of a novel poxvirus contributing to the decline of the red squirrel (sciurus vulgaris) in the uk.	the genome of a virulent squirrelpox virus (sqpv) isolate was characterized in order to determine its relationship with other poxviruses. restriction enzyme analysis suggested a genome length of approximately 158 kb, whilst sequence analysis of the two ends of the genome indicated a g + c composition of approximately 66 %. two contiguous stretches of 23 and 37 kb at the left-hand and right-hand ends of the genome, respectively, were sequenced allowing the identification of at least 59 genes cont ...	2006	16847106
disease threats posed by alien species: the role of a poxvirus in the decline of the native red squirrel in britain.	red squirrels are declining in the united kingdom. competition from, and squirrel poxvirus (sqpv) disease carried by, grey squirrels are assumed to be determining the decline. we analyse the incidence of disease and changes in distribution of the two species in cumbria, from 1993 to 2003 and compare these to the predictions of an individual-based (ib) spatially explicit disease model simulating the dynamics of both squirrel species and sqpv in the landscape. grey squirrels increased whilst red s ...	2006	16238822
the reactivity of monoclonal antibodies against orf virus with other parapoxviruses and the identification of a 39 kda immunodominant protein.	a panel of 27 mouse monoclonal antibodies (mabs) was raised against orf virus. sixteen of these mabs reacted with a protein with a molecular mass of 65 kda, 8 reacted with a protein with a molecular mass of 39 kda and three remain uncharacterised. reactivity of the mabs with a library of recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing various regions of the nz-2 orf virus genome identified the approximate positions of the genes encoding these 2 immunodominant orf virus proteins. the gene encoding the 39 ...	1998	9930187
preliminary studies on an unusual poxvirus of the western grey squirrel (sciurus griseus griseus) of north america.	particles of a poxvirus found in californian western grey squirrels have overall dimensions indistinguishable from those of the poxviruses of the genera orthopoxvirus and leporipoxvirus, but have surface structures somewhat reminiscent of virions of members of the genus parapoxvirus. extracts of tissues infected with the squirrel poxvirus cross-react in gel-diffusion tests with extracts of tissues infected with californian myxoma virus, but not with a similar preparation infected with a south am ...	1975	181346
epidermal changes caused by squirrel poxvirus.		1969	4310336