Experts suspect this giraffe may be infected with a rare case of bovine papillomavirus. (Photo: Marius Nortje)
A 'bumpy' giraffe covered in large growths in an African national park may be infected with a virus that rarely affects the tall mammals, scientists say.
Wildlife photographer Marius Nortje's photographs of a giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) in Kruger National Park, South Africa, show growths on the animal's face, neck and body.
This is a common sign of infection with papillomaviruses, a group of viruses that are spread through direct contact with infected individuals or contaminated environments. Papillomaviruses can also infect people — specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States.
Gemma Campling, chief veterinarian and CEO of Worldwide Vets, an international veterinary organisation, suggests the giraffe may have been infected with bovine papillomavirus (BPV), which is common in cattle and sometimes infects giraffes, antelopes and zebras. Worldwide Vets posted photos of the giraffe on Facebook on January 6.
“Giraffe infection with this virus is fairly new and rare, and we don't have many cases to study, so it's hard to say whether the giraffe will recover and make a full recovery,” Campling told Live Science in an email.
In 2007, researchers reported two giraffes in Kruger National Park with “extensive lesions” similar to those seen in horses with BPV infection. To prevent the infection from spreading, both giraffes were euthanized, and subsequent genetic testing found BPV in their lesions, Campling said.
While BPV is suspected to be the cause, Campling also hypothesized that the latest case could have been caused by Giraffa camelopardalis papillomavirus 1 (GcPV1), a variant discovered in 2017. However, neither of these suggestions have been confirmed.
Wildlife photographer Marius Nortje spotted a giraffe in Kruger National Park. How did the giraffe become infected?
Scientists are still unsure how exactly the giraffe might have become infected. “Giraffes don’t typically come into direct physical contact with each other, so it’s more likely that fomites are responsible for transmitting the virus,” Campling said. Fomites are objects or materials in the environment that can carry an infection to a new host.
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