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Costa T, Stidworthy MF, Ehmann R, Denk D, Ashpole I, Drake G, Maciuca I, Zoeller G, Meyer H, Chantrey J. Cowpox in zoo and wild animals in the United Kingdom. J Comp Pathol 2023; 204:39-46. [PMID: 37352825 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2023.05.002] [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: 10/24/2022] [Revised: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/25/2023]
Abstract
Cowpox virus is considered to be a re-emerging zoonotic pathogen and a public health threat due to increasing numbers of cases in humans and animals in Europe over the past decade, including within the United Kingdom (UK). We present epidemiological data and diagnostic features of 27 recent, naturally occurring cowpox cases in zoo and wild animals across the UK, including the first reports of cowpox in two snow leopards (Panthera uncia), a Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), three Chilean pudus (Pudu puda), a Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus) and a Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra), and the first reports of Orthopoxvirus infection in a lar gibbon (Hylobates lar), a Southern tamandua (Tamandua tetradactyla) and an aardvark (Orycteropus afer). This study provides a detailed overview of cowpox infections in a wide range of non-domestic animal species, presents a range of methods for diagnosis and demonstrates the value of retrospective analysis of pathology surveillance in revealing epidemiological links.
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Affiliation(s)
- Taiana Costa
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Chester High Road, Neston, Liverpool CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Mark F Stidworthy
- International Zoo Veterinary Group, Station House, Parkwood Street, Keighley BD21 4NQ, UK
| | - Rosina Ehmann
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Neuherbergstraße 11, 80937 Munich, Germany
| | - Daniela Denk
- International Zoo Veterinary Group, Station House, Parkwood Street, Keighley BD21 4NQ, UK
| | - Ian Ashpole
- Chester Zoo, Upton-by-Chester, Chester CH2 1EU, UK
| | - Gabby Drake
- Chester Zoo, Upton-by-Chester, Chester CH2 1EU, UK
| | - Iuliana Maciuca
- School of Veterinary Science, University of Liverpool, Chester High Road, Neston, Liverpool CH64 7TE, UK
| | - Gudrun Zoeller
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Neuherbergstraße 11, 80937 Munich, Germany
| | - Hermann Meyer
- Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology, Neuherbergstraße 11, 80937 Munich, Germany
| | - Julian Chantrey
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Science (IVES), University of Liverpool, Leahurst Campus, Neston CH64 7TE, UK.
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Zhuang Z, Qian L, Lu J, Zhang X, Mahmood A, Cui L, Wang H, Wang X, Yang S, Ji L, Shan T, Shen Q, Zhang W. Comparison of viral communities in the blood, feces and various tissues of wild brown rats ( Rattus norvegicus). Heliyon 2023; 9:e17222. [PMID: 37389044 PMCID: PMC10300334 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Viral diseases caused by new outbreaks of viral infections pose a serious threat to human health. Wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus), considered one of the world's largest and most widely distributed rodents, are host to various zoonotic pathogens. To further understand the composition of the virus community in wild brown rats and explore new types of potentially pathogenic viruses, viral metagenomics was conducted to investigate blood, feces, and various tissues of wild brown rats captured from Zhenjiang, China. Results indicated that the composition of the virus community in different samples showed significant differences. In blood and tissue samples, members of the Parvoviridae and Anelloviridae form the main body of the virus community. Picornaviridae, Picobirnaviridae, and Astroviridae made up a large proportion of fecal samples. Several novel genome sequences from members of different families, including Anelloviridae, Parvoviridae, and CRESS DNA viruses, were detected in both blood and other samples, suggesting that they have the potential to spread across organs to cause viremia. These viruses included not only strains closely related to human viruses, but also a potential recombinant virus. Multiple dual-segment picornaviruses were obtained from fecal samples, as well as virus sequences from the Astroviridae and Picornaviridae. Phylogenetic analysis showed that these viruses belonged to different genera, with multiple viruses clustered with other animal viruses. Whether they have pathogenicity and the ability to spread across species needs further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zi Zhuang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Lingling Qian
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Juan Lu
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Xiaodan Zhang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Zhenjiang Center for Disease Prevention and Control, Zhenjiang, 212002, China
| | - Asif Mahmood
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Lei Cui
- Institute of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Science, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200062, China
| | - Huiying Wang
- Department of Swine Infectious Disease, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Xiaochun Wang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Shixing Yang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Likai Ji
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Tongling Shan
- Department of Swine Infectious Disease, Shanghai Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai, 200241, China
| | - Quan Shen
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
| | - Wen Zhang
- Department of Laboratory Medicine, School of Medicine, Jiangsu University, Zhenjiang, 212013, China
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Capobianchi MR, Di Caro A, Piubelli C, Mori A, Bisoffi Z, Castilletti C. Monkeypox 2022 outbreak in non-endemic countries: Open questions relevant for public health, nonpharmacological intervention and literature review. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2022; 12:1005955. [PMID: 36204640 PMCID: PMC9530127 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2022.1005955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Starting from mid-May 2022, cases of human monkeypox started to rise in several non-endemic countries. By mid-July, more than 17000 confirmed/suspect cases have been reported by at least 82 countries worldwide, with a regular incremental trend. In order to contain the disease diffusion, risk evaluation is crucial to undertake informed decisions and effective communication campaigns. However, since orthopoxvirus infections so far have attracted low attention, due to the eradication of smallpox 40 years ago, and to the confinement of human monkeypox almost exclusively to endemic areas, several unresolved issues concerning natural history, ecology and pathogenesis remain. To this respect, we identified some open questions and reviewed the relevant literature on monkeypoxvirus and/or related orthopoxviruses. The results will be discussed in the perspective of their relevance to public health decisions, particularly those related to non-pharmacological interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Rosaria Capobianchi
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
- Saint Camillus International Medical University, Rome, Italy
| | - Antonino Di Caro
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
- Saint Camillus International Medical University, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Piubelli
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Antonio Mori
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Zeno Bisoffi
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
| | - Concetta Castilletti
- Department of Infectious Tropical Diseases and Microbiology, Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico (IRCCS) Sacro Cuore-Don Calabria Hospital, Verona, Italy
- *Correspondence: Concetta Castilletti,
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Alakunle E, Moens U, Nchinda G, Okeke MI. Monkeypox Virus in Nigeria: Infection Biology, Epidemiology, and Evolution. Viruses 2020; 12:E1257. [PMID: 33167496 PMCID: PMC7694534 DOI: 10.3390/v12111257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 337] [Impact Index Per Article: 84.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2020] [Revised: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Monkeypox is a zoonotic disease caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV), which is a member of orthopoxvirus genus. The reemergence of MPXV in 2017 (at Bayelsa state) after 39 years of no reported case in Nigeria, and the export of travelers' monkeypox (MPX) from Nigeria to other parts of the world, in 2018 and 2019, respectively, have raised concern that MPXV may have emerged to occupy the ecological and immunological niche vacated by smallpox virus. This review X-rays the current state of knowledge pertaining the infection biology, epidemiology, and evolution of MPXV in Nigeria and worldwide, especially with regard to the human, cellular, and viral factors that modulate the virus transmission dynamics, infection, and its maintenance in nature. This paper also elucidates the role of recombination, gene loss and gene gain in MPXV evolution, chronicles the role of signaling in MPXV infection, and reviews the current therapeutic options available for the treatment and prevention of MPX. Additionally, genome-wide phylogenetic analysis was undertaken, and we show that MPXV isolates from recent 2017 outbreak in Nigeria were monophyletic with the isolate exported to Israel from Nigeria but do not share the most recent common ancestor with isolates obtained from earlier outbreaks, in 1971 and 1978, respectively. Finally, the review highlighted gaps in knowledge particularly the non-identification of a definitive reservoir host animal for MPXV and proposed future research endeavors to address the unresolved questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emmanuel Alakunle
- Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Biomedical Science Concentration, School of Arts and Sciences, American University of Nigeria, 98 Lamido Zubairu Way, PMB 2250 Yola, Nigeria;
| | - Ugo Moens
- Molecular Inflammation Research Group, Institute of Medical Biology, University i Tromsø (UIT)—The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037 Tromsø, Norway;
| | - Godwin Nchinda
- Laboratory of Vaccinology and Immunology, The Chantal Biya International Reference Center for Research on the Prevention and Management HIV/AIDS (CIRCB), P.O Box 3077 Yaoundé-Messa, Cameroon;
- Department of Pharmaceutical Microbiology & Biotechnology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, P.O Box 420110 Awka, Nigeria
| | - Malachy Ifeanyi Okeke
- Department of Natural and Environmental Sciences, Biomedical Science Concentration, School of Arts and Sciences, American University of Nigeria, 98 Lamido Zubairu Way, PMB 2250 Yola, Nigeria;
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Balčiauskas L, Balčiauskienė L. On the Doorstep, Rodents in Homesteads and Kitchen Gardens. Animals (Basel) 2020; 10:E856. [PMID: 32429138 PMCID: PMC7278421 DOI: 10.3390/ani10050856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/13/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Scarcely investigated in terms of small mammals, kitchen gardens and homesteads form a subset of environments. Using results of snap trapping, we present the first data on small mammal species diversity, gender and age structure, relative abundance, body fitness, and reproduction parameters in these commensal habitats (kitchen gardens, homestead gardens, houses, and outbuildings). We expected that (i) house mice should be the dominant species in buildings, while striped field mice should be dominant in gardens, (ii) body condition should be the highest in buildings, (iii) body condition should increase in the autumn, irrespective of the habitat, and (iv) breeding failures in the form of disrupted pregnancies should be observed. Not all of the predictions were confirmed. From the seven recorded species, gardens and outbuildings were dominated by yellow-necked mice, while bank voles dominated in buildings where food was available. The number of recorded species and diversity index increased during the autumn months. The body condition was highest in rodents that were trapped in gardens. It decreased towards winter, with the exception of the striped field mouse. Breeding disturbances were recorded in all of the most numerous species, comprising 16.7-100% of all observed pregnancies.
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Weber S, Jeske K, Ulrich RG, Imholt C, Jacob J, Beer M, Hoffmann D. In Vivo Characterization of a Bank Vole-Derived Cowpox Virus Isolate in Natural Hosts and the Rat Model. Viruses 2020; 12:v12020237. [PMID: 32093366 PMCID: PMC7077282 DOI: 10.3390/v12020237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2020] [Revised: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
Cowpox virus (CPXV) belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus in the Poxviridae family and is endemic in western Eurasia. Based on seroprevalence studies in different voles from continental Europe and UK, voles are suspected to be the major reservoir host. Recently, a CPXV was isolated from a bank vole (Myodes glareolus) in Germany that showed a high genetic similarity to another isolate originating from a Cotton-top tamarin (Saguinus oedipus). Here we characterize this first bank vole-derived CPXV isolate in comparison to the related tamarin-derived isolate. Both isolates grouped genetically within the provisionally called CPXV-like 3 clade. Previous phylogenetic analysis indicated that CPXV is polyphyletic and CPXV-like 3 clade represents probably a different species if categorized by the rules used for other orthopoxviruses. Experimental infection studies with bank voles, common voles (Microtusarvalis) and Wistar rats showed very clear differences. The bank vole isolate was avirulent in both common voles and Wistar rats with seroconversion seen only in the rats. In contrast, inoculated bank voles exhibited viral shedding and seroconversion for both tested CPXV isolates. In addition, bank voles infected with the tamarin-derived isolate experienced a marked weight loss. Our findings allow for the conclusion that CPXV isolates might differ in their replication capacity in different vole species and rats depending on their original host. Moreover, the results indicate host-specific differences concerning CPXV-specific virulence. Further experiments are needed to identify individual virulence and host factors involved in the susceptibility and outcome of CPXV-infections in the different reservoir hosts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saskia Weber
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.W.); (K.J.)
| | - Kathrin Jeske
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.W.); (K.J.)
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany;
| | - Rainer G. Ulrich
- Institute of Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany;
| | - Christian Imholt
- Vertebrate Research, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute, Toppheideweg 88, 48161 Münster, Germany; (C.I.); (J.J.)
| | - Jens Jacob
- Vertebrate Research, Institute for Plant Protection in Horticulture and Forests, Julius Kühn-Institute, Toppheideweg 88, 48161 Münster, Germany; (C.I.); (J.J.)
| | - Martin Beer
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.W.); (K.J.)
- Correspondence: (M.B.); (D.H.); Tel.: +49-38351-7-1200 (M.B.); +49-38351-7-1627 (D.H.)
| | - Donata Hoffmann
- Institute of Diagnostic Virology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, 17493 Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany; (S.W.); (K.J.)
- Correspondence: (M.B.); (D.H.); Tel.: +49-38351-7-1200 (M.B.); +49-38351-7-1627 (D.H.)
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