Abstract
A putative novel papillomavirus was implicated in a debilitating papillomatosis-carcinomatosis syndrome affecting endangered western barred bandicoots (Perameles bougainville). Non-radioactively labelled DNA probes were used to demonstrate the presence of viral DNA sequences in lesional tissue by in situ hybridization. There was positive nuclear staining of keratinocytes and sebocytes in lesional biopsies from wart-affected western barred bandicoots sampled between 2000 and 2006 for all four DNA probes tested. Overfixation, freezing and autolysis reduced the sensitivity and specificity of this technique; however with optimally fixed, well-preserved tissue samples, positive staining was obvious and reliable. These results confirm that genetic sequences from a putative novel papillomavirus are situated within the histological lesions of the western barred bandicoot papillomatosis-carcinomatosis syndrome, providing further evidence to support the hypothesis that this syndrome has a viral aetiology.