Ranavirus is an emerging disease that infects fish, amphibians, and reptiles. Ranavirus induces an inflammatory response leading to death in many susceptible species. Red-eared sliders (RES; Trachemys scripta elegans) are vulnerable to ranavirus
infection and are economically significant chelonians kept in the pet trade and utilized in research. Early identification of RES with inflammatory diseases would allow for isolation of affected individuals and subsequent disease investigation, including molecular testing for ranavirus. Validation of an inexpensive, clinically relevant, and reproducible diagnostic test that detects
inflammation in turtles is needed. Although commonly used,
plasma protein electrophoresis to detect an inflammatory
acute-phase protein response has not been evaluated in a controlled environment in turtles with experimentally induced inflammatory disease. The objective of this study was to measure
plasma protein fractions by electrophoresis to determine if an
acute-phase protein response occurs in RES during
infection with a frog virus 3-like ranavirus (FV3-like virus) isolated from a chelonian. A Bradford assay and
agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE) were performed using plasma collected during a study of the effect of temperature on the pathogenesis of ranavirus in RES. In RES at the time of
viremia, total
albumin (ALB(mg/ml)) and
albumin to
globulin ratio were significantly lower and
beta-globulin percentage was significantly higher in RES exposed to ranavirus (n = 4) as compared to matched, uninfected RES (n = 8). In the last sample collected prior to death, total
protein (TP(mg/ml)), ALB(mg/ml),
alpha-globulin percentage, and total
alpha-globulin (alpha(mg/ml)) were significantly lower in RES exposed to ranavirus (n = 4) than control individuals (n = 8). In summary, FV3-like virus induces a decrease in
plasma albumin concentration at the onset ofviremia and decreases in TP(mg/ml, ALB(mg/ml), and alpha(mg/ml) concentrations prior to death in RES as measured by AGE.