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Baggio F, Hetzel U, Prähauser B, Dervas E, Michalopoulou E, Thiele T, Kipar A, Hepojoki J. A Multiplex RT-PCR Method for the Detection of Reptarenavirus Infection. Viruses 2023; 15:2313. [PMID: 38140554 PMCID: PMC10747477 DOI: 10.3390/v15122313] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2023] [Revised: 11/16/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/24/2023] Open
Abstract
Reptarenaviruses cause Boid Inclusion Body Disease (BIBD), a fatal disease of boid snakes with an economic and ecological impact, as it affects both captive and wild constrictor snakes. The clinical picture of BIBD is highly variable but often only limited. Intracytoplasmic inclusion bodies (IB), which develop in most cell types including blood cells, are the pathognomonic hallmark of BIBD; their detection represents the diagnostic gold standard of the disease. However, IBs are not consistently present in clinically healthy reptarenavirus carriers, which can, if undetected, lead to and maintain the spread of the disease within and between snake populations. Sensitive viral detection tools are required for screening and control purposes; however, the genetic diversity of reptarenaviruses hampers the reverse transcription (RT) PCR-based diagnostics. Here, we describe a multiplex RT-PCR approach for the molecular diagnosis of reptarenavirus infection in blood samples. The method allows the detection of a wide range of reptarenaviruses with the detection limit reaching 40 copies per microliter of blood. Using 245 blood samples with a reference RT-PCR result, we show that the technique performs as well as the segment-specific RT-PCRs in our earlier studies. It can identify virus carriers and serve to limit reptarenavirus spreading in captive snake collections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Baggio
- The BIBD Group and Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (U.H.); (B.P.); (E.D.); (E.M.); (T.T.); (A.K.); (J.H.)
- Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Udo Hetzel
- The BIBD Group and Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (U.H.); (B.P.); (E.D.); (E.M.); (T.T.); (A.K.); (J.H.)
| | - Barbara Prähauser
- The BIBD Group and Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (U.H.); (B.P.); (E.D.); (E.M.); (T.T.); (A.K.); (J.H.)
- Center for Clinical Studies, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Eva Dervas
- The BIBD Group and Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (U.H.); (B.P.); (E.D.); (E.M.); (T.T.); (A.K.); (J.H.)
| | - Eleni Michalopoulou
- The BIBD Group and Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (U.H.); (B.P.); (E.D.); (E.M.); (T.T.); (A.K.); (J.H.)
| | - Tanja Thiele
- The BIBD Group and Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (U.H.); (B.P.); (E.D.); (E.M.); (T.T.); (A.K.); (J.H.)
| | - Anja Kipar
- The BIBD Group and Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (U.H.); (B.P.); (E.D.); (E.M.); (T.T.); (A.K.); (J.H.)
| | - Jussi Hepojoki
- The BIBD Group and Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; (U.H.); (B.P.); (E.D.); (E.M.); (T.T.); (A.K.); (J.H.)
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland
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Oļševskis E, Masiulis M, Seržants M, Lamberga K, Šteingolde Ž, Krivko L, Cvetkova S, Buitkuvienė J, Pilevičienė S, Zani L, Denzin N, Depner K. Do Seropositive Wild Boars Pose a Risk for the Spread of African Swine Fever? Analysis of Field Data from Latvia and Lithuania. Pathogens 2023; 12:pathogens12050723. [PMID: 37242393 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12050723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2020, ASF occurred in wild boars throughout Latvia and Lithuania, and more than 21,500 animals were hunted and tested for the presence of the virus genome and antibodies in the framework of routine disease surveillance. The aim of our study was to re-examine hunted wild boars that tested positive for the antibodies and negative for the virus genome in the blood (n = 244) and to see if the virus genome can still be found in the bone marrow, as an indicator of virus persistence in the animal. Via this approach, we intended to answer the question of whether seropositive animals play a role in the spread of the disease. In total, 2 seropositive animals out of 244 were found to be positive for the ASF virus genome in the bone marrow. The results indicate that seropositive animals, which theoretically could also be virus shedders, can hardly be found in the field and thus do not play an epidemiological role regarding virus perpetuation, at least not in the wild boar populations we studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edvīns Oļševskis
- Food and Veterinary Service, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
| | - Marius Masiulis
- State Food and Veterinary Service, 07170 Vilnius, Lithuania
- Veterinary Academy, Lithuanian University of Health Sciences, 44307 Kaunas, Lithuania
| | | | - Kristīne Lamberga
- Food and Veterinary Service, LV-1050 Riga, Latvia
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Latvia University of Life Sciences and Technologies, LV-3004 Jelgava, Latvia
| | - Žanete Šteingolde
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
| | - Laura Krivko
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
| | - Svetlana Cvetkova
- Institute of Food Safety, Animal Health and Environment "BIOR", LV-1076 Riga, Latvia
| | - Jūratė Buitkuvienė
- National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute, 08409 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Simona Pilevičienė
- National Food and Veterinary Risk Assessment Institute, 08409 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Laura Zani
- Niedersächsisches Landesamt für Verbraucherschutz und Lebensmittelsicherheit (LAVES), 26203 Wardenburg, Germany
| | | | - Klaus Depner
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, 17493 Greifswald, Germany
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