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Ferrara G, Wernike K, Iovane G, Pagnini U, Montagnaro S. First evidence of schmallenberg virus infection in southern Italy. BMC Vet Res 2023; 19:95. [PMID: 37507724 PMCID: PMC10386761 DOI: 10.1186/s12917-023-03666-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Accepted: 07/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Schmallenberg virus (SBV) is a vector-borne pathogen that mainly affects ruminants. Schmallenberg disease has never been described in southern Italy, although this geographic area displays climatic features suitable for Culicoides biting midges, which transmit the pathogen. An observational study was carried out in the Campania region in 2020 to evaluate the seroprevalence in cattle and water buffalo as well as to identify the risk factors involved in the distribution of SBV. RESULTS Relatively high seroprevalences of 38.2% (cattle) and 43% (water buffalo) were found by using a commercial SBV ELISA, which is comparable to the prevalence obtained in other countries under post-epidemic conditions. A virus neutralization assay performed on positive samples showed high titers in a large percentage of animals which is assumed to indicate recent exposure. Bivariate analysis of several variables revealed some environmental factors associated with higher seroprevalence, such as mean annual temperature, distance from the coast, and altitude. Multivariate logistic regression confirmed the statistical association only for mean annual temperature, that was found to be the main factor responsible for the distribution of the virus in southern Italy. In addition, molecular diagnosis attempts were performed on serum samples and resulted in the detection of SBV RNA in two herds and six animals. CONCLUSIONS In this work we have demonstrated the circulation of SBV in southern Italy using both molecular and serological assays. This study emphasized the essential role of monitoring in preventing the re-emergence of vector-borne diseases in ruminants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gianmarco Ferrara
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Federico Delpino n.1, Naples, 80137, Italy.
| | - Kerstin Wernike
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Südufer 10, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany
| | - Giuseppe Iovane
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Federico Delpino n.1, Naples, 80137, Italy
| | - Ugo Pagnini
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Federico Delpino n.1, Naples, 80137, Italy
| | - Serena Montagnaro
- Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Productions, University of Naples Federico II, Via Federico Delpino n.1, Naples, 80137, Italy
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Leifels M, Khalilur Rahman O, Sam IC, Cheng D, Chua FJD, Nainani D, Kim SY, Ng WJ, Kwok WC, Sirikanchana K, Wuertz S, Thompson J, Chan YF. The one health perspective to improve environmental surveillance of zoonotic viruses: lessons from COVID-19 and outlook beyond. ISME COMMUNICATIONS 2022; 2:107. [PMID: 36338866 PMCID: PMC9618154 DOI: 10.1038/s43705-022-00191-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 09/26/2022] [Accepted: 10/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
The human population has doubled in the last 50 years from about 3.7 billion to approximately 7.8 billion. With this rapid expansion, more people live in close contact with wildlife, livestock, and pets, which in turn creates increasing opportunities for zoonotic diseases to pass between animals and people. At present an estimated 75% of all emerging virus-associated infectious diseases possess a zoonotic origin, and outbreaks of Zika, Ebola and COVID-19 in the past decade showed their huge disruptive potential on the global economy. Here, we describe how One Health inspired environmental surveillance campaigns have emerged as the preferred tools to monitor human-adjacent environments for known and yet to be discovered infectious diseases, and how they can complement classical clinical diagnostics. We highlight the importance of environmental factors concerning interactions between animals, pathogens and/or humans that drive the emergence of zoonoses, and the methodologies currently proposed to monitor them-the surveillance of wastewater, for example, was identified as one of the main tools to assess the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by public health professionals and policy makers during the COVID-19 pandemic. One-Health driven approaches that facilitate surveillance, thus harbour the potential of preparing humanity for future pandemics caused by aetiological agents with environmental reservoirs. Via the example of COVID-19 and other viral diseases, we propose that wastewater surveillance is a useful complement to clinical diagnosis as it is centralized, robust, cost-effective, and relatively easy to implement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mats Leifels
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Omar Khalilur Rahman
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - I-Ching Sam
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
- Department of Medical Microbiology, University Malaya Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Dan Cheng
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Feng Jun Desmond Chua
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Dhiraj Nainani
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Se Yeon Kim
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wei Jie Ng
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Wee Chiew Kwok
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Kwanrawee Sirikanchana
- Research Laboratory of Biotechnology, Chulabhorn Research Institute, Bangkok, Thailand
- Centre of Excellence on Environmental Health and Toxicology, CHE, Ministry of Education, Bangkok, Thailand
| | - Stefan Wuertz
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Janelle Thompson
- Singapore Centre for Environmental Life Sciences Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
- Campus for Research Excellence and Technological Enterprise (CREATE), Singapore, Singapore
- Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Yoke Fun Chan
- Department of Medical Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Caballero-Gómez J, Cano Terriza D, Pujols J, Martínez-Nevado E, Carbonell MD, Guerra R, Recuero J, Soriano P, Barbero J, García-Bocanegra I. Monitoring of bluetongue virus in zoo animals in Spain, 2007-2019. Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 69:1739-1747. [PMID: 33963677 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Revised: 04/04/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Bluetongue (BT) is an emerging and re-emerging communicable vector-borne disease of animal health concern. A serosurvey was performed to assess exposure to BT virus (BTV) in zoo animals in Spain and to determine the dynamics of seropositivity in longitudinally sampled individuals during the study period. Serum samples were collected from 241 zoo animals belonging to 71 different species in five urban zoos (A-E) in Spain between 2007 and 2019. Twenty-four of these animals were longitudinally surveyed at three of the sampled zoos (zoos B, C and E) during the study period. Anti-BTV antibodies were found in 46 (19.1%; 95% CI: 14.1-24.1) of the 241 captive animals analysed by commercial ELISA. A virus neutralization test confirmed specific antibodies against BTV-1 and BTV-4 in 25 (10.7%; 95% CI: 6.7-14.6) and five (3.0%; 95% CI: 0.3-4.0) animals, respectively. Two of the 24 longitudinally sampled individuals (one African elephant (Loxodanta africana) and one aoudad (Ammotragus lervia)) showed anti-BTV antibodies at all samplings, whereas seroconversions were detected in one mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) in 2016, and one Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) in 2019. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first large-scale survey on BTV conducted in both artiodactyl and non-artiodactyl zoo species worldwide. The results confirm BTV exposure in urban zoo parks in Spain, which could be of animal health and conservation concern. Circulation of BTV was detected in yearling animals in years when there were no reports of BTV outbreaks in livestock. Surveillance in artiodactyl and non-artiodactyl zoo species could be a valuable tool for epidemiological monitoring of BTV.
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Affiliation(s)
- Javier Caballero-Gómez
- Animal Health and Zoonosis Research Group (GISAZ), Department of Animal Health, University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain.,Clinical Virology and Zoonoses Group, Infectious Diseases Unit, Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute of Cordoba, Reina Sofia Hospital, University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - David Cano Terriza
- Animal Health and Zoonosis Research Group (GISAZ), Department of Animal Health, University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Joan Pujols
- IRTA, Animal Health Research Center (CReSA, IRTA-UAB), Campus of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Jesús Recuero
- Veterinary and Conservation Department, Bioparc Fuengirola, Málaga, Spain
| | | | - Jesús Barbero
- Animal Health and Zoonosis Research Group (GISAZ), Department of Animal Health, University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Ignacio García-Bocanegra
- Animal Health and Zoonosis Research Group (GISAZ), Department of Animal Health, University of Cordoba, Córdoba, Spain
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Bayrou C, Lesenfants C, Paternostre J, Volpe R, Moula N, Coupeau D, Muylkens B, Desmecht D, Linden A. Schmallenberg virus, cyclical reemergence in the core region: A seroepidemiologic study in wild cervids, Belgium, 2012-2017. Transbound Emerg Dis 2021; 69:1625-1633. [PMID: 33949132 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 04/02/2021] [Accepted: 04/27/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Schmallenberg virus emerged in 2011 in Europe. The epicentre of primordial spreading was the region straddling Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. One of the key questions is whether the newcomer would establish a lasting presence on the continent. The apparent seroprevalence in southern Belgium wild deer populations was followed for 6 years. Two years of intense circulation were revealed, 2012 and 2016, characterized by a peak seroprevalence in the two studied populations (Capreolus capreolus and Cervus elaphus). Between the peak years and after 2016, apparent seroprevalences declined rapidly among adults and became nil among juveniles. The general pattern of apparent seroprevalence evolution observed is consistent with a cyclic circulation of Schmallenberg virus, similar to what is observed for other Orthobunyaviruses in endemic areas. These data also suggest that wild cervids play no central role in the circulation dynamics of the virus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calixte Bayrou
- Animal Pathology, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Christophe Lesenfants
- Surveillance Network for Wildlife Diseases, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Julien Paternostre
- Surveillance Network for Wildlife Diseases, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Rosario Volpe
- Surveillance Network for Wildlife Diseases, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Nassim Moula
- Animal Productions, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Damien Coupeau
- Veterinary Department, Faculty of Sciences, Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur (UNamur), Namur, Belgium
| | - Benoît Muylkens
- Veterinary Department, Faculty of Sciences, Namur Research Institute for Life Sciences (NARILIS), University of Namur (UNamur), Namur, Belgium
| | - Daniel Desmecht
- Animal Pathology, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
| | - Annick Linden
- Surveillance Network for Wildlife Diseases, FARAH Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Liège, Belgium
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