Isolation and Partial Characterization of Three Reoviruses from Lizards

Reoviruses were isolated in cell culture from a green iguana (Iguana iguana) and two chameleons (species unknown). The viruses were isolated on reptile and avian cells at 28°C (82°F) and caused the formation of syncytia. Using a recently described nested reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction assay targeting the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase gene of the genera Orthoreovirus and Aquareovirus, the isolates were partially characterized as orthoreoviruses closely related to orthoreoviruses from snakes. The clinical significance of the reovirus infections in the lizards was not always clear. This study is the first to provide sequence data from reoviruses isolated from lizards.