Koala retrovirus diversity, transmissibility, and disease associations

Retrovirology

Table 5 Comparisons of differences in KoRV plasma RNA and blood genomic DNA (gDNA) log10 viral loads (VLs) and koala characteristics in blood samples

Variables	Plasma mean difference	Plasma 95% lower limit	Plasma 95% upper limit	Plasma p value	gDNA mean difference	gDNA 95% lower limit	gDNA	gDNA p value
Variables	Plasma mean difference	Plasma 95% lower limit	Plasma 95% upper limit	Plasma p value	gDNA mean difference	gDNA 95% lower limit	95% upper limit	gDNA p value
Subtype				< 0.0001				< 0.0001
KoRV-A vs. KoRV-B	4.47	3.71	5.22	< 0.0001	7.13	6.41	7.85	< 0.0001
KoRV-E vs. KoRV-B	− 2.8	− 3.79	− 1.81	< 0.0001	− 2.48	− 3.4	1.57	< 0.0001
KoRV-F vs. KoRV-B	2.12	0.93	3.32	0.0007	− 0.71	− 1.5	0.07	0.07
Age at Testing	− 0.03	− 0.14	0.08	0.6	− 0.02	− 0.12	0.08	0.6
Sex				0.2				0.3
Male vs. Female	− 0.67	− 1.47	0.13	0.1	− 0.6	− 1.34	0.15	0.3
Joey vs. Female	0.1	− 1.66	1.86	0.9	− 0.62	− 2.3	1.06	0.8
Joey vs. Male	0.74	− 1.00	2.47	0.4	− 0.02	− 1.67	1.63	1
Health status classification and cause of death^a				0.002				0.0005
Alive vs. Other	− 0.55	− 1.74	0.65	0.4	0.17	− 0.92	1.27	0.8
Leukemia-lymphoma or other cancers vs. Other	1.47	0.14	2.81	0.03	2.18	0.93	3.42	0.0008
Leukemia-lymphoma or other cancers vs. Alive	2.01	0.89	3.13	0.0006	2.01	0.94	3.07	0.0003
Location				0.004				< 0.0001
Australian zoos vs. Wild	1.87	0.59	3.15	0.002	2.67	1.49	3.84	< 0.0001
US zoos vs. Wild	0.55	− 0.66	1.75	0.4	0.26	− 0.84	1.37	0.6
Australian zoos vs. US zoos	1.31	0.42	2.19	0.004	2.40	1.57	3.24	< 0.0001

All VL measurements, including undetectable measurements, from each koala were used in the Tobit model, including multiple samples collected at different time points or multiple samples collected from the same time point, i.e. at necropsy
^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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