Viruses.
Publisher:
MDPI
Frequency: Quarterly
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Author(s):
Molecular Diversity Preservation International., Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute.
Start Year:2009 -
ISSN:
1999-4915 (Electronic)
1999-4915 (Linking)
1999-4915 (Linking)
Impact Factor
4.7
2022
| NLM ID: | 101509722 |
| (OCoLC): | 458286944 |
| LCCN: | 2009243732 |
Serological and Molecular Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 in Horses and Cattle in Switzerland from 2020 to 2022. Horses and cattle have shown low susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2, and there is no evidence of experimental intraspecies transmission. Nonetheless, seropositive horses in the US and seropositive cattle in Germany and Italy have been reported. The current study investigated the prevalence of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in horses and cattle in Switzerland. In total, 1940 serum and plasma samples from 1110 horses and 830 cattle were screened with a species-specific ELISA based on the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) and, in the case of suspect positive results, a surrogate virus neutralizat...
Equine Rotavirus A under the One Health Lens: Potential Impacts on Public Health. Group A rotaviruses are a well-known cause of viral gastroenteritis in infants and children, as well as in many mammalian species and birds, affecting them at a young age. This group of viruses has a double-stranded, segmented RNA genome with high genetic diversity linked to point mutations, recombination, and, importantly, reassortment. While initial molecular investigations undertaken in the 1900s suggested host range restriction among group A rotaviruses based on the fact that different gene segments were distributed among different animal species, recent molecular surveillance and genome c...
Assessment of Equine Influenza Virus Status in the Republic of Korea from 2020 to 2022. Equine influenza virus (EIV) causes acute respiratory disease in horses and belongs to the influenza A virus family , genus . This virus may have severe financial implications for the horse industry owing to its highly contagious nature and rapid transmission. In the Republic of Korea, vaccination against EIV has been practiced with the active involvement of the Korea Racing Authority since 1974. In this study, we monitored the viral RNA for EIV using PCR, as well as the antibody levels against 'A/equine/South Africa/4/03 (H3N8, clade 1)', from 2020 to 2022. EIV was not detected using RT-PCR. ...
Detection of Selected Equine Respiratory Pathogens in Stall Samples Collected at a Multi-Week Equestrian Show during the Winter Months. The aim of this study was to use environmental sampling to determine the frequency of detection of selected equine respiratory viruses and bacteria in horses attending a multi-week equestrian show during the winter months. At four time points during showing, environmental sponge samples were collected from all stalls on the property and tested for the presence of equine herpesvirus-1 (EHV-1), EHV-2, EHV-4, equine influenza virus (EIV), equine rhinitis B virus (ERBV), Streptococcus equi ss. equi (S. equi), and S. equi ss. zooepidemicus (S. zooepidemicus) using real-time PCR (PCR). Environmental...
Severe Neurologic Disease in a Horse Caused by Tick-Borne Encephalitis Virus, Austria, 2021. As evidenced by sero-epidemiological studies, infections of horses with the tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) occur frequently in TBEV-endemic areas. However, there are only very few reports of clinical cases. A possible underreporting may be due to a variety of diagnostic challenges. In this study, ELISA and neutralization tests were applied to serum samples. Brain tissue samples were investigated for the presence of nucleic acids of TBEV, Equid alphaherpesvirus 1, Borna disease virus 1, West Nile and Usutu viruses, rustrela virus, as well as Eastern, Western, and Venezuelan equine encepha...
CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Targeting of BPV-1-Transformed Primary Equine Sarcoid Fibroblasts. Equine sarcoids (EqS) are fibroblast-derived skin tumors associated with bovine papillomavirus 1 and 2 (BPV-1 and -2). Based on Southern blotting, the BPV-1 genome was not found to be integrated in the host cell genome, suggesting that EqS pathogenesis does not result from insertional mutagenesis. Hence, CRISPR/Cas9 implies an interesting tool for selectively targeting BPV-1 episomes or genetically anchored suspected host factors. To address this in a proof-of-concept study, we confirmed the exclusive episomal persistence of BPV-1 in EqS using targeted locus amplification (TLA). To investigate...
Quadruplex Real-Time TaqMan® RT-qPCR Assay for Differentiation of Equine Group A and B Rotaviruses and Identification of Group A G3 and G14 Genotypes. Equine rotavirus A (ERVA) is the leading cause of diarrhea in foals, with G3P[12] and G14P[12] genotypes being the most prevalent. Recently, equine G3-like RVA was recognized as an emerging infection in children, and a group B equine rotavirus (ERVB) was identified as an emergent cause of foal diarrhea in the US. Thus, there is a need to adapt molecular diagnostic tools for improved detection and surveillance to identify emerging strains, understand their molecular epidemiology, and inform future vaccine development. We developed a quadruplex TaqMan RT-qPCR assay for differentiation of ERVA an...
First Insight into the Seroepidemiology of Hepatitis E Virus (HEV) in Dogs, Cats, Horses, Cattle, Sheep, and Goats from Bulgaria. In recent years, hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection has been found to be widespread among different animal species worldwide. In Bulgaria, high HEV seropositivity was found among pigs (60.3%), wild boars (40.8%), and East Balkan swine (82.5%). The aim of the present study was to establish the seroprevalence of HEV among dogs, cats, horses, cattle, sheep, and goats in Bulgaria. In total, 720 serum samples from six animal species were randomly collected: dogs-90 samples; cats-90; horses-180; cattle-180; sheep-90; and goats-90. The serum samples were collected from seven districts of the country: ...
Comparison of West Nile Virus Disease in Humans and Horses: Exploiting Similarities for Enhancing Syndromic Surveillance. West Nile virus (WNV) neuroinvasive disease threatens the health and well-being of horses and humans worldwide. Disease in horses and humans is remarkably similar. The occurrence of WNV disease in these mammalian hosts has geographic overlap with shared macroscale and microscale drivers of risk. Importantly, intrahost virus dynamics, the evolution of the antibody response, and clinicopathology are similar. The goal of this review is to provide a comparison of WNV infection in humans and horses and to identify similarities that can be exploited to enhance surveillance methods for the early dete...
Investigation of the Frequency of Detection of Common Respiratory Pathogens in Nasal Secretions and Environment of Healthy Sport Horses Attending a Multi-Week Show Event during the Summer Months. Little information is presently available regarding the frequency of the silent shedders of respiratory viruses in healthy sport horses and their impact on environmental contamination. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the detection frequency of selected respiratory pathogens in nasal secretions and environmental stall samples of sport horses attending a multi-week equestrian event during the summer months. Six out of fifteen tents were randomly selected for the study with approximately 20 horse/stall pairs being sampled on a weekly basis. Following weekly collection for a to...
Interactions of Equine Viruses with the Host Kinase Machinery and Implications for One Health and Human Disease. Zoonotic pathogens that are vector-transmitted have and continue to contribute to several emerging infections globally. In recent years, spillover events of such zoonotic pathogens have increased in frequency as a result of direct contact with livestock, wildlife, and urbanization, forcing animals from their natural habitats. Equines serve as reservoir hosts for vector-transmitted zoonotic viruses that are also capable of infecting humans and causing disease. From a One Health perspective, equine viruses, therefore, pose major concerns for periodic outbreaks globally. Several equine viruses ha...
Horses as Sentinels for the Circulation of Flaviviruses in Eastern-Central Germany. Since 2018, autochthonous West Nile virus (WNV) infections have been regularly reported in eastern-central Germany. While clinically apparent infections in humans and horses are not frequent, seroprevalence studies in horses may allow the tracing of WNV and related flaviviruses transmission, such as tick-borne encephalitis virus (TBEV) and Usutu virus (USUV), and consequently help to estimate the risk of human infections. Hence, the aim of our study was to follow the seropositive ratio against these three viruses in horses in Saxony, Saxony Anhalt, and Brandenburg and to describe their geograp...
Mapping Eastern (EEE) and Venezuelan Equine Encephalitides (VEE) among Equines Using Geographical Information Systems, Colombia, 2008-2019. Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV) viruses are zoonotic pathogens affecting humans, particularly equines. These neuroarboviruses compromise the central nervous system and can be fatal in different hosts. Both have significantly influenced Colombia; however, few studies analyse its behaviour, and none develop maps using geographic information systems to characterise it. To describe the temporal-spatial distribution of those viruses in Colombia between 2008 and 2019. Retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study, based on weekly reports by ...
Genetic Characterization of a Novel Equus caballus Papillomavirus Isolated from a Thoroughbred Mare. Papillomaviruses (PVs) are small, non-enveloped viruses, ubiquitous across the animal kingdom. PVs induce diverse forms of infection, such as cutaneous papillomas, genital papillomatosis, and carcinomas. During a survey on the fertility status of a mare, a novel PV (EcPV) has been identified using Next Generation Sequencing, and it was further confirmed with genome-walking PCR and Sanger sequencing. The complete circular genome 7607 bp long shares 67% average percentage of identity with EcPV9, EcPV2, EcPV1, and EcPV6, justifying a new classification as PV 10 (EcPV10). All EcPV genes are cons...
Arboviruses in Mammals in the Neotropics: A Systematic Review to Strengthen Epidemiological Monitoring Strategies and Conservation Medicine. Arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are a diverse group of ribonucleic acid (RNA) viruses, with the exception of African swine fever virus, that are transmitted by hematophagous arthropods to a vertebrate host. They are the important cause of many diseases due to their ability to spread in different environments and their diversity of vectors. Currently, there is no information on the geographical distribution of the diseases because the routes of transmission and the mammals (wild or domestic) that act as potential hosts are poorly documented or unknown. We conducted a systematic review fro...
Advances in the Development of Small Molecule Antivirals against Equine Encephalitic Viruses. Venezuelan, western, and eastern equine encephalitic alphaviruses (VEEV, WEEV, and EEEV, respectively) are arboviruses that are highly pathogenic to equines and cause significant harm to infected humans. Currently, human alphavirus infection and the resulting diseases caused by them are unmitigated due to the absence of approved vaccines or therapeutics for general use. These circumstances, combined with the unpredictability of outbreaks-as exemplified by a 2019 EEE surge in the United States that claimed 19 patient lives-emphasize the risks posed by these viruses, especially for aerosolized V...
Papillomavirus-like Particles in Equine Medicine. Papillomaviruses (PVs) are a family of small DNA tumor viruses that can induce benign lesions or cancer in vertebrates. The observation that animal PV capsid-proteins spontaneously self-assemble to empty, highly immunogenic virus-like particles (VLPs) has led to the establishment of vaccines that efficiently protect humans from specific PV infections and associated diseases. We provide an overview of PV-induced tumors in horses and other equids, discuss possible routes of PV transmission in equid species, and present recent developments aiming at introducing the PV VLP-based vaccine technology...
Genomic Analysis of West Nile Virus Lineage 1 Detected in Mosquitoes during the 2020-2021 Outbreaks in Andalusia, Spain. Emerging infectious diseases are one of the most important global health challenges because of their impact on human and animal health. The vector-borne West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted between birds by mosquitos, but it can also infect humans and horses causing disease. The local circulation of WNV in Spain has been known for decades, and since 2010, there have been regular outbreaks in horses, although only six cases were reported in humans until 2019. In 2020, Spain experienced a major outbreak with 77 human cases, which was followed by 6 additional cases in 2021, most of them in the An...
Vaccination against Borna Disease: Overview, Vaccine Virus Characterization and Investigation of Live and Inactivated Vaccines. (1) Background: Vaccination of horses and sheep against Borna disease (BD) was common in endemic areas of Germany in the 20th century but was abandoned in the early 1990s. The recent occurrence of fatal cases of human encephalitis due to Borna disease virus 1 (BoDV-1) has rekindled the interest in vaccination. (2) Methods: The full genomes of the BD live vaccine viruses "Dessau" and "Giessen" were sequenced and analyzed for the first time. All vaccination experiments followed a proof-of-concept approach. Dose-titration infection experiments were performed in rabbits, based on both cell culture...
Bovine Papillomavirus Type 1 or 2 Virion-Infected Primary Fibroblasts Constitute a Near-Natural Equine Sarcoid Model. Equine sarcoids are common, locally aggressive skin tumors induced by bovine papillomavirus types 1, 2, and possibly 13 (BPV1, BPV2, BPV13). Current in vitro models do not mimic de novo infection. We established primary fibroblasts from horse skin and succeeded in infecting these cells with native BPV1 and BPV2 virions. Subsequent cell characterization was carried out by cell culture, immunological, and molecular biological techniques. Infection of fibroblasts with serial 10-fold virion dilutions (2 × 10-20 virions) uniformly led to DNA loads settling at around 150 copies/cell after four pass...
Epidemiological Aspects of Equid Herpesvirus-Associated Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) Outbreaks. Equid Herpesvirus Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) is a multifactorial disease following an EHV-1 infection in Equidae. We investigated a total of 589 horses on 13 premises in Europe in search of risk factors for the development of EHM. We found that fever ( < 0.001), increasing age ( = 0.032), and female sex ( = 0.042) were risk factors for EHM in a logistic mixed model. Some breeds had a decreased risk to develop EHM compared to others (Shetland and Welsh ponies; = 0.017; = 0.031), and fewer EHV-1-vaccinated horses were affected by EHM compared to unvaccinated horses ( = 0.02). Data evaluation...
Zoonotic RVA: State of the Art and Distribution in the Animal World. Rotavirus species A (RVA) is a pathogen mainly affecting children under five years old and young animals. The infection produces acute diarrhea in its hosts and, in intensively reared livestock animals, can cause severe economic losses. In this study, we analyzed all RVA genomic constellations described in animal hosts. This review included animal RVA strains in humans. We compiled detection methods, hosts, genotypes and complete genomes. RVA was described in 86 animal species, with 52% (45/86) described by serology, microscopy or the hybridization method; however, strain sequences were not de...
Epidemiology and Clinical Manifestation of West Nile Virus Infections of Equines in Hungary, 2007-2020. West Nile virus (WNV) is an emerging pathogen in Hungary, causing severe outbreaks in equines and humans since 2007. The aim of our study was to provide a comprehensive report on the clinical signs of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND) in horses in Hungary. Clinical details of 124 confirmed equine WNND cases were collected between 2007 and 2019. Data about the seasonal and geographical presentation, demographic data, clinical signs, treatment protocols, and disease progression were evaluated. Starting from an initial case originating from the area of possible virus introduction by migrator...
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 in 1186 Equids Presented to a Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital in California from 2020 to 2022. While some companion animals have been shown to be susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, their role in the COVID-19 pandemic has remained poorly investigated. Equids are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 based on the similarity of the human ACE-2 receptor and reports of infection. Clinical disease and prevalence factors associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection in equids have not yet been investigated. The aim of this study was to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 and selected prevalence factors in 1186 equids presented for various conditions to a Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital over a two-year period. ...
Serological Evidence of Exposure to Saint Louis Encephalitis and West Nile Viruses in Horses of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Infections with arboviruses are reported worldwide. Saint Louis encephalitis (SLEV) and West Nile (WNV) viruses are closely related flaviviruses affecting humans and animals. SLEV has been sporadically detected in humans, and corresponding antibodies have been frequently detected in horses throughout Brazil. WNV was first reported in western Brazil over a decade ago, has been associated with neurological disorders in humans and equines and its prevalence is increasing nationwide. Herein, we investigated by molecular and serological methods the presence of SLEV and WNV in equines from Rio de Ja...
Exploiting V-Gene Bias for Rapid, High-Throughput Monoclonal Antibody Isolation from Horses. Horses and humans share a close relationship that includes both species' viromes. Many emerging infectious diseases can be transmitted between horses and humans and can exhibit mortality rates as high as 90% in both populations. Antibody biologics represents an emerging field of rapidly discoverable and potent antiviral therapeutics. These biologics can be used to provide passive immunity, as well as blueprints for the rational design of novel active vaccine antigens. Here, we exploit the limited diversity of immunoglobulin variable genes used by horses to develop a rapid, high-throughput mono...
Equus caballus Papillomavirus Type-9 (EcPV9): First Detection in Asymptomatic Italian Horses. Papillomavirus (PV) infections may be related to anogenital lesions and cancer development in humans and several other animal species. To date, 11 different PVs have been reported in horses. Among them, a newly described PV named Papillomavirus Type9 (EcPV9) was thus far only reported in the semen of a stallion with penile lesions in Australia. This study reports for the first time the presence of EcPV9 in asymptomatic Italian horses. From July 2020 to January 2022, genital brush samples were collected from 209 horses with no apparent signs of neoplastic disease and no PV-associated lesions, ...
Epidemiological and Genomic Characterisation of Middelburg and Sindbis Alphaviruses Identified in Horses with Febrile and Neurological Infections, South Africa (2014-2018). Although Old World alphaviruses, Middelburg- (MIDV) and Sindbis virus (SINV), have previously been detected in horses and wildlife with neurologic disease in South Africa, the pathogenesis and clinical presentation of MIDV and SINV infections in animals are not well documented. Clinical samples from horses across South Africa with acute or fatal neurologic and febrile infections submitted between 2014-2018 were investigated. In total, 69/1084 (6.36%) and 11/1084 (1.01%) horses tested positive for MIDV and SINV, respectively, by real-time reverse transcription (RT) PCR. Main signs/outcomes for ...
Occurrence of Equine Foamy Virus Infection in Horses from Poland. Equine foamy virus (EFVeca) is a foamy virus of non-primate origin and among the least-studied members of this retroviral subfamily. By sequence comparison, EFVeca shows the highest similarity to bovine foamy virus. In contrast to simian, bovine or feline foamy viruses, knowledge about the epidemiology of EFVeca is still limited. Since preliminary studies suggested EFVeca infections among horses in Poland, we aimed to expand the diagnostics of EFVeca infections by developing specific diagnostic tools and apply them to investigate its prevalence. An ELISA test based on recombinant EFVeca Gag pr...
Identification of Equine Arteritis Virus Immunodominant Epitopes Using a Peptide Microarray. Using the commercially available PEPperCHIP® microarray platform, a peptide microarray was developed to identify immunodominant epitopes for the detection of antibodies against Equine arteritis virus (EAV). For this purpose, the whole EAV Bucyrus sequence was used to design a total of 1250 peptides that were synthesized and spotted onto a microarray slide. A panel of 28 serum samples representing a selection of EAV strains was tested using the microarray. Of the 1250 peptides, 97 peptides (7.76%) showed reactivity with the EAV-positive samples. No single peptide was detected by all the positi...