Australian bat lyssavirus infection in two horses.
Abstract: In May 2013, the first cases of Australian bat lyssavirus infections in domestic animals were identified in Australia. Two horses (filly-H1 and gelding-H2) were infected with the Yellow-bellied sheathtail bat (YBST) variant of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV). The horses presented with neurological signs, pyrexia and progressing ataxia. Intra-cytoplasmic inclusion bodies (Negri bodies) were detected in some Purkinje neurons in haematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained sections from the brain of one of the two infected horses (H2) by histological examination. A morphological diagnosis of sub-acute moderate non-suppurative, predominantly angiocentric, meningo-encephalomyelitis of viral aetiology was made. The presumptive diagnosis of ABLV infection was confirmed by the positive testing of the affected brain tissue from (H2) in a range of laboratory tests including fluorescent antibody test (FAT) and real-time PCR targeting the nucleocapsid (N) gene. Retrospective testing of the oral swab from (H1) in the real-time PCR also returned a positive result. The FAT and immunohistochemistry (IHC) revealed an abundance of ABLV antigen throughout the examined brain sections. ABLV was isolated from the brain (H2) and oral swab/saliva (H1) in the neuroblastoma cell line (MNA). Alignment of the genome sequence revealed a 97.7% identity with the YBST ABLV strain.
Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2014-08-19 PubMed ID: 25195190DOI: 10.1016/j.vetmic.2014.07.029Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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This research is a report on the first cases of Australian bat lyssavirus infections in domestic horses in Australia, identified in May 2013. Using various diagnostic procedures and tests, it was confirmed that the infected horses were suffering from a strain of lyssavirus associated with the Yellow-bellied sheathtail bat.
Context of the Study
- The study was prompted by the identification of the first cases of Australian bat lyssavirus (ABLV) infections in domestic horses in May 2013.
- This research is significant as it marked the first discovery of such infections among domestic animals in Australia.
Clinical Presentation of the Infections
- The infected horses exhibited neurological signs, pyrexia and progressing ataxia, indicating that the infection had a clear impact on their nervous system.
- The exact variant of the virus identified in these horses was traced back to Yellow-bellied sheathtail bat.
Diagnostic Procedures and Findings
- Intra-cytoplasmic inclusion bodies or Negri bodies, which are often present in cases of rabies, were found in the Purkinje neurons in an infected horse’s brain during a histological examination. This supports a viral origin for the infection.
- The presumptive diagnosis of ABLV was confirmed using a range of laboratory tests. Both the Fluorescent Antibody Test (FAT) and real time PCR targeting the nucleocapsid (N) gene tested positive for ABLV.
- The virus was also found in abundance in the brain sections examined via FAT and immunohistochemistry (IHC).
- It was furthermore confirmed that ABLV could be isolated from the horse’s oral swab/saliva and brain using a specific neuroblastoma cell line (MNA).
Genomic Analysis
- The genome sequencing revealed a strong similarity of 97.7% between the isolated virus and the Yellow-bellied Sheathtail Bat ABLV strain further confirming the origin of the virus.
Confirmation of Results
- In order to confirm the above results, retrospective testing was conducted on an oral swab from the second infected horse which also returned a positive result. This demonstrates that the findings are reliable and verifiable based on multiple tests and independent samples.
Cite This Article
APA
Shinwari MW, Annand EJ, Driver L, Warrilow D, Harrower B, Allcock RJ, Pukallus D, Harper J, Bingham J, Kung N, Diallo IS.
(2014).
Australian bat lyssavirus infection in two horses.
Vet Microbiol, 173(3-4), 224-231.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vetmic.2014.07.029 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Biosecurity Sciences Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia.
- Randwick Equine Centre, Sydney, NSW 2031, Australia.
- Biosecurity Sciences Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia.
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, P.O. Box 594, Archerfield, QLD 4108, Australia.
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, P.O. Box 594, Archerfield, QLD 4108, Australia.
- LotteryWest State Biomedical Facility - Genomics, School of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia; Department of Diagnostic Genomics, Pathwest Laboratory Medicine WA, PP Block, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.
- Public Health Virology Laboratory, Queensland Health Forensic and Scientific Services, P.O. Box 594, Archerfield, QLD 4108, Australia.
- CSIRO, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, 5 Portarlington Road, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia.
- CSIRO, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, 5 Portarlington Road, Geelong, VIC 3220, Australia.
- Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Ann Street, Brisbane, QLD 4000, Australia.
- Biosecurity Sciences Laboratory, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, 39 Kessels Road, Coopers Plains, QLD 4108, Australia. Electronic address: ibrahim.diallo@daff.qld.gov.au.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Australia
- Base Sequence
- Encephalomyelitis, Equine / pathology
- Encephalomyelitis, Equine / virology
- Fluorescent Antibody Technique / veterinary
- Horse Diseases / pathology
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses
- Immunohistochemistry / veterinary
- Lyssavirus / genetics
- Male
- Meningitis, Viral / pathology
- Meningitis, Viral / veterinary
- Molecular Sequence Data
- Nucleocapsid Proteins / genetics
- Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction / veterinary
- Rhabdoviridae Infections / pathology
- Rhabdoviridae Infections / veterinary
- Sequence Alignment / veterinary
- Sequence Analysis, DNA / veterinary
- Sequence Homology
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