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Equine veterinary journal2021; 54(1); 114-120; doi: 10.1111/evj.13425

A reassortant G3P[12] rotavirus A strain associated with severe enteritis in donkeys (Equus asinus).

Abstract: In contrast to horses, the only evidence suggesting gastrointestinal disease in neonatal donkeys is associated with Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) is the detection of viral antigens by ELISA in just 1 of 82 symptomatic donkey foals. No additional, more comprehensive investigations have been conducted, and RVAs if circulating in donkey populations have not been molecularly characterised. Objective: To investigate if RVAs are associated with an outbreak of severe enteritis in neonatal donkeys and if associated determine the genotype(s) along with the phylogenetic relationship to RVA strains circulating in horses. Methods: Cross-sectional. Methods: RT-PCR-based techniques were used for RVA diagnosis and gene amplification. Statistical significance was determined by Chi-square and Fisher's exact two-sided tests. Genotyping was performed by RotaC and phylogenetic analysis by neighbour joining. Results: In 2019, acute enteritis occurred in 119 of 206 donkey foals (≤4 months) at two intensive donkey farms in the Shandong province of China. The highest morbidity (68.1%), mortality (29.5%) and fatality levels (45.5%) occurred in foals in the 30-89 day, 30-59 day and 0-29 day age groups respectively. RVA gene sequences were detected in 107 (89.9%) of the symptomatic individuals while further analysis demonstrated the outbreak was associated with the same G3P[12] RVA strain designated RVA/Donkey-wt/CHN/Don01/2019/G3P[12]. Although the VP4 gene of Don01 exhibited close phylogenetic relationships with equivalent RVA sequences commonly circulating in horses, encoding VP7 was more closely associated with sequences isolated from bats suggesting this new donkey strain arose via an intergenogroup reassortment event. Conclusions: Actual prevalence not determined because <7% of asymptomatic donkey foals were included in this study. The complete genomic sequence of RVA/Donkey-wt/CHN/Don01/2019/G3P[12] remains to be determined. Conclusions: Valuable new information about the molecular epidemiology of rotaviruses in different equid species is provided by isolation and molecular characterisation of a novel RVA strain from neonatal donkeys.
© 2021 EVJ Ltd.
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Publication Date: 2021-02-08 PubMed ID: 33455000DOI: 10.1111/evj.13425Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

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This research focused on investigating the link between Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) and an outbreak of severe enteritis in neonatal donkeys in China. The study found that the same RVA strain, G3P[12], was associated with 89.9% of the donkey foals suffering from enteritis, suggesting the presence of this strain in the donkey population.

Objective and Methodology

  • The main objective of the research was to understand if Group A rotaviruses (RVAs) were linked to an outbreak of enteritis in neonatal donkeys, get insight into the prevalent genotype(s), and determine the phylogenetic relationship of the RVA strains circulating in the donkey population with those in horses.
  • The study utilized a cross-sectional approach to examine the prevalence of RVA strains in neonatal donkeys.
  • The researchers used RT-PCR-based techniques, which are techniques for amplifying selected sections of DNA or RNA for analysis, for diagnosing RVAs and amplifying the genes. Statistical significance was determined using Chi-square and Fisher’s exact two-sided tests.
  • The genotyping was carried out using the RotaC tool, and the phylogenetic relationship was determined using the neighbour joining method.

Results

  • In 2019, an outbreak of acute enteritis occurred in 119 out of 206 donkey foals in two intensive donkey farms in the Shandong province of China. The highest symptom occurrence, mortality, and fatality rates were recorded in different age groups ranging from birth to 89 days.
  • The researchers found RVA gene sequences in 107 (89.9%) of the symptomatic individuals, pointing to a strong association between the RVA strain and the outbreak.
  • The same RVA strain, known as G3P[12], was found in all affected individuals. The study referred to this strain as RVA/Donkey-wt/CHN/Don01/2019/G3P[12].
  • The analysis also revealed that while the VP4 gene of the strain was closely related to RVA sequences usually found in horses, the gene encoding VP7 was more aligned with sequences isolated from bats. This suggests that the donkey strain could have arisen from a reassortment event between different groups.

Conclusions and Future Perspective

  • The researchers admitted that the study’s actual prevalence could not be determined as it only included fewer than 7% of asymptomatic donkey foals. Hence, a complete genomic sequence of the RVA/Donkey-wt/CHN/Don01/2019/G3P[12] strain is yet to be determined.
  • Despite this, the study has provided valuable information about the molecular epidemiology of RVAs in different equid species by isolating and characterising a new RVA strain from neonatal donkeys. This information could be valuable in developing preventive measures for acute enteritis in donkeys and possibly other equid species.

Cite This Article

APA
Dong J, Liu G, Gao N, Suo J, Matthijnssens J, Li S, Yuan D, Du Y, Zhang J, Yamashita N, Haga T, Cook FR, Zhu W. (2021). A reassortant G3P[12] rotavirus A strain associated with severe enteritis in donkeys (Equus asinus). Equine Vet J, 54(1), 114-120. https://doi.org/10.1111/evj.13425

Publication

Equine veterinary journal
ISSN: 2042-3306
NlmUniqueID: 0173320
Country: United States
Language: English
Volume: 54
Issue: 1
Pages: 114-120

Researcher Affiliations

Dong, Jianbao
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Science, Shandong Vocational Animal Science and Veterinary College, Weifang, China.
  • Research Institute of Effective-Breeding and Eco-Feeding of Donkey, College of Agronomy, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, China.
  • Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Liu, Guiqin
  • Research Institute of Effective-Breeding and Eco-Feeding of Donkey, College of Agronomy, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng, China.
Gao, Nannan
  • Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Suo, Jiajia
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Science, Shandong Vocational Animal Science and Veterinary College, Weifang, China.
Matthijnssens, Jelle
  • Department of Microbiology, Immunology and Transplantation, Laboratory of Clinical and Epidemiological Virology, Rega Institute, University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Li, Shuguang
  • Shandong Binzhou Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine Academy, Binzhou, China.
Yuan, Dongfang
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Science, Shandong Vocational Animal Science and Veterinary College, Weifang, China.
Du, Yan
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Science, Shandong Vocational Animal Science and Veterinary College, Weifang, China.
Zhang, Jun
  • Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.
Yamashita, Nanako
  • Division of Infection Control and Disease Prevention, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Haga, Takeshi
  • Division of Infection Control and Disease Prevention, Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan.
Cook, Frank R
  • Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, USA.
Zhu, Wei
  • Department of Veterinary Medical Science, Shandong Vocational Animal Science and Veterinary College, Weifang, China.
  • Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Cross-Sectional Studies
  • Enteritis / epidemiology
  • Enteritis / veterinary
  • Equidae
  • Genome, Viral
  • Genotype
  • Horse Diseases / epidemiology
  • Horses
  • Phylogeny
  • Rotavirus / genetics
  • Rotavirus Infections / epidemiology
  • Rotavirus Infections / veterinary

Grant Funding

  • SDAIT-27 / Shandong Provincial Modern Agricultural Industry Technology System
  • 2020GX039 / Weifang Science and Technology Development Program
  • 2019KJF018 / Shandong Provincial Youth Innovation and Technology Support Program
  • 31902265 / National Natural Science Foundation of China
  • 3193308 / Open Project of Shandong Collaborative Innovation Center for Donkey Industry Technology
  • ZR2020MC182 / Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province

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Citations

This article has been cited 3 times.
  1. Cai Y, Wang X, Li C, Li F, Yan Z, Ma N, Sun M. Probiotics combined with zinc and selenium preparation in the treatment of child rotavirus enteritis. Am J Transl Res 2022;14(2):1043-1050.
    pubmed: 35273706
  2. Mendoza FJ, Toribio RE. An Overview of Donkey Neonatology. Animals (Basel) 2025 Jul 6;15(13).
    doi: 10.3390/ani15131986pubmed: 40646885google scholar: lookup
  3. Khan MZ, Li Y, Zhu M, Li M, Wang T, Zhang Z, Liu W, Ma Q, Wang C. Advances in Donkey Disease Surveillance and Microbiome Characterization in China. Microorganisms 2025 Mar 26;13(4).
    doi: 10.3390/microorganisms13040749pubmed: 40284586google scholar: lookup
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