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Mira F, Schirò G, Giudice E, Purpari G, Origgi F, Vicari D, Di Pietro S, Antoci F, Gucciardi F, Geraci F, Talarico V, Guercio A. Viral pathogens in domestic cats in southern Italy: A retrospective analysis in Sicily, 2020-2022. Comp Immunol Microbiol Infect Dis 2024; 111:102209. [PMID: 38880052 DOI: 10.1016/j.cimid.2024.102209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2024] [Revised: 06/03/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
A retrospective study was carried out on selected feline viral pathogens detected in domestic cat in Sicily, southern Italy. Samples from 64 cats, collected from 2020 to 2022, were analysed for the presence of feline panleukopenia virus, canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), feline coronavirus (FCoV), feline calicivirus (FCV), feline herpesvirus type 1, norovirus (NoV), and rotavirus (RoV). Single (45 %) or mixed (38 %) viral infections were detected. FPV, related with other Italian FPV strains, remains the main viral cause of infection (66 %). CPV-2c Asian lineage strains (3 %) were detected for the first time in domestic cats in Europe. FCoV (29.6 %), either enteric or systemic, and systemic FCV (18.7 %) infections were detected in positive cats. Less commonly reported viruses (GIV.2/GVI.2 NoVs, RoV), potentially related to the animal/human interface, were detected at lower rates as well (5 %). The present epidemiological data suggest the need to improve disease prevention, immunization, and biosecurity strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesco Mira
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy; Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina 98168, Italy
| | - Giorgia Schirò
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy; Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina 98168, Italy.
| | - Elisabetta Giudice
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina 98168, Italy
| | - Giuseppa Purpari
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy
| | - Francesco Origgi
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina 98168, Italy
| | - Domenico Vicari
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy
| | - Simona Di Pietro
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Messina, Polo Universitario dell'Annunziata, Messina 98168, Italy
| | - Francesco Antoci
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy
| | - Francesca Gucciardi
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy
| | - Francesco Geraci
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy
| | - Virginia Talarico
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy
| | - Annalisa Guercio
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia "A. Mirri", Via Gino Marinuzzi 3, Palermo 90129, Italy
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Hill MAM, Satchell T, Troyer RM. Detection of Felis catus Gammaherpesvirus 1 in Domestic Cat Saliva: Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Attempted Virus Isolation. Pathogens 2024; 13:111. [PMID: 38392850 PMCID: PMC10891546 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens13020111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2023] [Revised: 01/19/2024] [Accepted: 01/24/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Felis catus gammaherpesvirus 1 (FcaGHV1) infects domestic cats worldwide, yet it has not been successfully propagated in cell culture, and little is known about how it is shed and transmitted. To investigate the salivary shedding of FcaGHV1, we quantified FcaGHV1 DNA in feline saliva by qPCR. For FcaGHV1-positive saliva, we sequenced a portion of the viral glycoprotein B (gB) gene and attempted to isolate the infectious virus by passage in several felid and non-felid cell lines. We detected FcaGHV1 DNA in 45/227 (19.8%) saliva samples with variable viral DNA loads from less than 100 to greater than 3 million copies/mL (median 4884 copies/mL). Multiple saliva samples collected from an infected cat over a two-month period were consistently positive, indicating that chronic shedding can occur for at least two months. Cat age, sex, and health status were not associated with shedding prevalence or viral DNA load in saliva. Feral status was also not associated with shedding prevalence. However, feral cats had significantly higher FcaGHV1 DNA load than non-feral cats. Sequencing of FcaGHV1 gB showed low sequence diversity and >99.5% nucleotide identity to the worldwide consensus FcaGHV1 gB sequence. We did not detect virus replication during the passage of FcaGHV1-positive saliva in cell culture, as indicated by consistently negative qPCR on cell lysate and supernatant. To our knowledge, these data show for the first time that cats in Canada are infected with FcaGHV1. The data further suggest that shedding of FcaGHV1 in saliva is common, can occur chronically over an extended period of time, and may occur at higher levels in feral compared to non-feral cats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Malcolm A. M. Hill
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada;
| | | | - Ryan M. Troyer
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON N6A 5C1, Canada;
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Rose EC, Tse TY, Oates AW, Jackson K, Pfeiffer S, Donahoe SL, Setyo L, Barrs VR, Beatty JA, Pesavento PA. Oropharyngeal Shedding of Gammaherpesvirus DNA by Cats, and Natural Infection of Salivary Epithelium. Viruses 2022; 14:v14030566. [PMID: 35336972 PMCID: PMC8950464 DOI: 10.3390/v14030566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Felis catus gammaherpesvirus-1 (FcaGHV1), a novel candidate oncogenic virus, infects cats worldwide. Whether the oropharynx is a site of virus shedding and persistence, and whether oronasal carcinomas harbor FcaGHV1 nucleic acid were investigated. In a prospective molecular epidemiological study, FcaGHV1 DNA was detected by cPCR in oropharyngeal swabs from 26/155 (16.8%) of cats. Oropharyngeal shedding was less frequently detected in kittens ≤3 months of age (5/94, 5.3%) than in older animals; >3 months to ≤1 year: 8/26, 30.8%, (p = 0.001, OR 7.91, 95% CI (2.320, 26.979)); >1 year to ≤6 years: 10/20, 50%, (p < 0.001, OR 17.8 95% CI (5.065, 62.557)); >6 years: 3/15, 33% (p = 0.078). Provenance (shelter-owned/privately owned) was not associated with shedding. In situ hybridization (ISH) identified FcaGHV1-infected cells in salivary glandular epithelium but not in other oronasal tissues from two of three cats shedding viral DNA in the oropharynx. In a retrospective dataset of 11 oronasopharyngeal carcinomas, a single tumor tested positive for FcaGHV1 DNA by ISH, a papillary carcinoma, where scattered neoplastic cells showed discrete nuclear hybridization. These data support the oronasopharynx as a site of FcaGHV1 shedding, particularly after maternal antibodies are expected to decline. The salivary epithelium is identified as a potential site of FcaGHV1 persistence. No evidence supporting a role for FcaGHV1 in feline oronasal carcinomas was found in the examined tumours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Rose
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (E.C.R.); (T.Y.T.); (A.W.O.); (K.J.); (P.A.P.)
- Department of Clinical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27606, USA
| | - Tiffany Y. Tse
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (E.C.R.); (T.Y.T.); (A.W.O.); (K.J.); (P.A.P.)
| | - Andrew W. Oates
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (E.C.R.); (T.Y.T.); (A.W.O.); (K.J.); (P.A.P.)
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Pathology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Ken Jackson
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (E.C.R.); (T.Y.T.); (A.W.O.); (K.J.); (P.A.P.)
| | - Susanne Pfeiffer
- Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China;
| | - Shannon L. Donahoe
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; (S.L.D.); (L.S.); (V.R.B.)
| | - Laura Setyo
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; (S.L.D.); (L.S.); (V.R.B.)
- Department of Pathology and Infectious Diseases, School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey, Guildford GU2 7AL, UK
| | - Vanessa R. Barrs
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; (S.L.D.); (L.S.); (V.R.B.)
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Julia A. Beatty
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of Science, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia; (S.L.D.); (L.S.); (V.R.B.)
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine and Life Sciences, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Centre for Animal Health and Welfare, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Correspondence:
| | - Patricia A. Pesavento
- Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, UC Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (E.C.R.); (T.Y.T.); (A.W.O.); (K.J.); (P.A.P.)
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