SERPENTOVIRUSES IN FREE-RANGING SHINGLEBACK SKINKS (TILIQUA RUGOSA) IN WESTERN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AUSTRALIA, AUSTRALIA

Serpentoviruses are strongly associated with upper respiratory tract disease in captive and free-ranging bluetongued skinks (Tiliqua spp.). In Australia, bluetongue serpentoviruses were first reported in shingleback skinks (Tiliqua rugosa) with upper respiratory tract disease that presented to wildlife rehabilitation facilities in Perth, Western Australia. Since then, serpentoviruses have been detected commonly in captive bluetongued skinks from most areas of Australia, yet knowledge about the prevalence and distribution of these viruses in free-ranging bluetongued skinks, and other skink species, remains limited. Oral swabs were collected from 162 shingleback skinks from four areas in Western Australia and neighboring South Australia to screen for bluetongue serpentoviruses by PCR. The proportions of PCR positives were 0% (0/4) for Rottnest Island (a small island west of Perth, Western Australia), 3% (1/32) for the Shire of Kent (∼5,600 km2 in the southwest of Western Australia), 1% (1/91) from an approximately 250,000 km2 area across South Australia and Western Australia, and 0% (0/35) from Mount Mary (∼150 km2 in the mid north of South Australia). Neither of the two PCR-positive shingleback skinks had overt signs of upper respiratory tract disease. These results are consistent with serpentoviruses occurring at a relatively low crude prevalence of 1.4% (95% confidence interval, 0.2-4.9%) across these areas, although the potential bias from sampling active and apparently healthy individuals may mean that this estimate is lower than the true prevalence. This contrasts with the high proportion of PCR positives reported in captive individuals. In the absence of experimental or observational data on viral clearance and recovery, Tiliqua spp. skinks that are intended for release into the wild should be housed with strict biosecurity to prevent interactions with captive individuals and screened to ensure that they are not PCR positive before release.