No Evidence of Mosquito Involvement in the Transmission of Equine Hepacivirus (Flaviviridae) in an Epidemiological Survey of Austrian Horses.
Abstract: Prevalence studies have demonstrated a global distribution of equine hepacivirus (EqHV), a member of the family Flaviviridae. However, apart from a single case of vertical transmission, natural routes of EqHV transmission remain elusive. Many known flaviviruses are horizontally transmitted between hematophagous arthropods and vertebrate hosts. This study represents the first investigation of potential EqHV transmission by mosquitoes. More than 5000 mosquitoes were collected across Austria and analyzed for EqHV ribonucleic acid (RNA) by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Concurrently, 386 serum samples from horses in eastern Austria were analyzed for EqHV-specific antibodies by luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) and for EqHV RNA by RT-qPCR. Additionally, liver-specific biochemistry parameters were compared between EqHV RNA-positive horses and EqHV RNA-negative horses. Phylogenetic analysis was conducted in comparison to previously published sequences from various origins. No EqHV RNA was detected in mosquito pools. Serum samples yielded an EqHV antibody prevalence of 45.9% (177/386) and RNA prevalence of 4.15% (16/386). EqHV RNA-positive horses had significantly higher glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH) levels ( = 0.013) than control horses. Phylogenetic analysis showed high similarity between nucleotide sequences of EqHV in Austrian horses and EqHV circulating in other regions. Despite frequently detected evidence of EqHV infection in Austrian horses, no viral RNA was found in mosquitoes. It is therefore unlikely that mosquitoes are vectors of this flavivirus.
Publication Date: 2019-11-01 PubMed ID: 31683893PubMed Central: PMC6893842DOI: 10.3390/v11111014Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary
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The research article highlights a study conducted on Austrian horses that found no evidence to suggest mosquitoes play a role in transmitting equine hepacivirus (EqHV), despite the high prevalence of the virus in the horse population.
Research Context
- The research examines the global distribution of equine hepacivirus (EqHV), a viral family member of Flaviviridae, in Austrian horses. The transmission routes of EqHV in the natural world are still largely unknown aside from a solitary case of vertical transmission (from mother to offspring).
- Many flaviviruses are known to be transmitted horizontally (directly from one individual to another), specifically between arthropods that feed on blood, such as mosquitoes, and their vertebrate hosts.
Methodology
- The researchers conducted the first investigation of potential EqHV transmission by mosquitoes, collecting over 5000 mosquitoes from different parts of Austria for analysis.
- Simultaneously, a total of 386 serum samples were taken from horses in the eastern part of Austria to test for EqHV-specific antibodies through the application of a luciferase immunoprecipitation system (LIPS) and for EqHV RNA using reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR).
- The team also compared liver-specific biochemistry parameters between horses which tested positive for EqHV RNA and those which did not, and conducted a phylogenetic analysis to identify any similarities between the EqHV sequences found in the Austrian horses and those from other regions.
Findings
- Upon analysis of all collected samples, the researchers did not find any EqHV RNA in the pools of mosquitoes, pointing to the likelihood that mosquitoes are not vectors of transmission for this particular virus.
- In contrast, the serum samples from horses indicated a high prevalence of EqHV with approximately 45.9% (177 out of 386) testing positive for EqHV antibodies and about 4.15% (16 out of 386) for EqHV RNA.
- Furthermore, horses that tested positive for EqHV RNA had significantly higher levels of glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH), a liver enzyme, than control horses suggesting that the virus has a direct impact on liver biochemistry of the infected subjects.
- Phylogenetic analysis revealed a high level of similarity in EqHV nucleotide sequences among Austrian horses and that of EqHV found in other regions.
Cite This Article
APA
Badenhorst M, de Heus P, Auer A, Rümenapf T, Tegtmeyer B, Kolodziejek J, Nowotny N, Steinmann E, Cavalleri JV.
(2019).
No Evidence of Mosquito Involvement in the Transmission of Equine Hepacivirus (Flaviviridae) in an Epidemiological Survey of Austrian Horses.
Viruses, 11(11), 1014.
https://doi.org/10.3390/v11111014 Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- University Equine Clinic - Internal Medicine, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. marcha.badenhorst@vetmeduni.ac.at.
- University Equine Clinic - Internal Medicine, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. phebe.de-heus@vetmeduni.ac.at.
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. angelika.auer@vetmeduni.ac.at.
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. till.ruemenapf@vetmeduni.ac.at.
- Institute for Experimental Virology, TWINCORE Centre for Experimental and Clinical Infection Research, Medical School Hannover (MHH) - Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI), Feodor-Lynen-Strasse 7, 30625 Hannover, Germany. birthe.tegtmeyer@twincore.de.
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. jolanta.kolodziejek@vetmeduni.ac.at.
- Institute of Virology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. norbert.nowotny@vetmeduni.ac.at.
- Department of Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences, Building 14, Dubai Healthcare City, Dubai, UAE. norbert.nowotny@vetmeduni.ac.at.
- Department of Molecular and Medical Virology, Ruhr-University Bochum, 44801 Bochum, Germany. eike.steinmann@rub.de.
- University Equine Clinic - Internal Medicine, Department for Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria. jessika.cavalleri@vetmeduni.ac.at.
MeSH Terms
- Animals
- Antibodies, Viral / blood
- Austria / epidemiology
- Culicidae / virology
- Female
- Glutamate Dehydrogenase / metabolism
- Hepacivirus / classification
- Hepacivirus / genetics
- Hepacivirus / immunology
- Hepacivirus / isolation & purification
- Hepatitis C / epidemiology
- Hepatitis C / transmission
- Hepatitis C / veterinary
- Hepatitis C / virology
- Horse Diseases / epidemiology
- Horse Diseases / transmission
- Horse Diseases / virology
- Horses
- Liver / enzymology
- Male
- Phylogeny
- Prevalence
- RNA, Viral / blood
- RNA, Viral / genetics
Conflict of Interest Statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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