Koala retrovirus diversity, transmissibility, and disease associations

Retrovirology

Table 3 Association between KoRV RNA and DNA subtype detection and selected koala characteristics by subject for tissue samples

Characteristic	KoRV-B			KoRV-E			KoRV-F
Characteristic	Positive (N = 5)	Negative (N = 26)	p value	Positive (N = 3)	Negative (N = 28)	p value	Positive (N = 5)	Negative (N = 26)	p value
RNA
Age (years)	3.3	9.5	0.04	2.7	9.3	0.05	3.3	9.5	0.04
Sex			0.04			0.3			0.04
Female	2 (40.3%)	11 (42.3%)		1 (33.3%)	12 (42.9%)		2 (40.0%)	11 (42.3%)
Male	1 (20.0%)	14 (53.9%)		1 (33.3%)	14 (50.0%)		1 (20.0%)	14 (53.9%)
Joey	2 (40.3%)	1 (3.9%)		1 (33.3%)	2 (7.1%)		2 (40.0%)	1 (3.9%)
Health status classification and cause of death^a			0.7			0.6			0.7
Leukemia-lymphoma and other cancer	3 (60.0%)	13 (50.0%)		2 (66.7%)	14 (50.0%)		3 (60.0%)	13 (50.0%)
Other	2 (40.0%)	13 (50.0%)		1 (33.3%)	14 (50.0%)		2 (40.0%)	13 (50.0%)

Characteristic	Positive (N = 6)	Negative (N = 25)	p value	Positive (N = 3)	Negative (N = 28)	p value	Positive (N = 5)	Negative (N = 26)	p value
DNA
Age (years)	4	9.6	0.04	2.7	9.3	0.05	3.3	9.5	0.04
Sex			0.1			0.3			0.04
Female	2 (33.3%)	11 (44.0%)		1 (33.3%)	12 (42.9%)		2 (40.0%)	11 (42.3%)
Male	2 (33.3%)	13 (52.0%)		1 (33.3%)	14 (50.0%)		1 (20.0%)	14 (53.9%)
Joey	2 (33.3%)	1 (4.0%)		1 (33.3%)	2 (7.1%)		2 (40.0%)	1 (3.9%)
Health status classification and cause of death^a			0.4			0.6			0.7
Leukemia-lymphoma and other cancer	4 (66.7%)	12 (48.0%)		2 (66.7%)	14 (50.0%)		3 (60.0%)	13 (50.0%)
Other	2 (33.3%)	13 (52.0%)		1 (33.3%)	14 (50.0%)		2 (40.0%)	13 (50.0%)

KoRV was considered detected if any sample at any time point from a koala tested positive for that specific subtype
^aCauses of death at study conclusion are listed for other than alive. Other cancers included osteoma, metastatic sarcoma, osteosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, and mammary carcinoma. Other causes of death included anemia, old age, euthanasia, acute respiratory illness, intestinal volvulus, torsion, intussusception, pulmonary interstitial fibrosis, unknown, and early young pouch death. The most common lesion in koalas that were classified with death at old age was degenerative joint disease

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