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Animals : an open access journal from MDPI2020; 10(6); 1086; doi: 10.3390/ani10061086

Survey of Serum Amyloid A and Bacterial and Viral Frequency Using qPCR Levels in Recently Captured Feral Donkeys from Death Valley National Park (California).

Abstract: Feral donkey removal from state land has raised concerns in terms of disease transmission between equine species. Disease outbreaks may occur as a result of the relocation of animals to new environments. Virus and bacteria DNA load and serum amyloid A derived from the pathogenic processes that they involve were measured in recently captured donkeys. Blood and nasal swabs were collected from 85 donkeys (Death Valley National Park, Shoshone, California); 24 were retested after 30/60 days in the Scenic (Arizona) long-term holding facility co-mingled with feral donkeys from Arizona and Utah. Quantitative Real-Time PCR (qPCR) was performed to detect viral and bacterial genomic material (equine influenza A [EIV], equine rhinitis A and B viruses, AHV-2, AHV-3, AHV-5 and EHV-1, EHV-4, subspecies and ,). Significant relations between behavior, body condition score, nasal discharge, and coughing were found in donkeys for which AHV-2 and DNA was detected. Higher SAA concentrations were found in foals. AHV-2 and DNA concentrations significantly differed between sampling moments ( < 0.05). In conclusion, donkeys do not appear to be a substantial risk for disease transmission to horses but could be if they carried strangles or other processes in which AHV-2 and were involved.
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Publication Date: 2020-06-23 PubMed ID: 32585994PubMed Central: PMC7341296DOI: 10.3390/ani10061086Google Scholar: Lookup
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Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research study analyzes the potential for disease transmission from feral donkeys to horses, using blood and nasal samples to measure bacteria and virus loads in recently captured donkeys. The results concluded that the donkeys did not pose a significant risk to horses unless certain conditions like strangles existed.

Introduction and Methodology

  • Considering the relevance of disease transmission between equine species and the potential disease outbreaks that can occur when animals are relocated to new environments, researchers conducted this study with the aim of determining the prevalence and type of viral and bacterial diseases present in feral donkeys.
  • They used blood, and nasal swabs from a sample of 85 donkeys recently captured from Death Valley National Park in Shoshone, California. 24 of these donkeys were retested after 30 and 60 days of being held in co-mingle with feral donkeys from Arizona and Utah at the Scenic long-term holding facility in Arizona.
  • A quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was employed to detect the viral and bacterial genomic material in the samples collected.

Results

  • The study found significant correlations between certain behaviors, such as nasal discharge and coughing, and the detection of AHV-2 and Streptococcus equi bacterial DNA. This implies that these symptoms may be indicative of the presence of these bacteria.
  • Additionally, higher levels of Serum Amyloid A (SAA), which is a protein that increases in the body’s response to inflammation or infection, were found in foals, or young donkeys.
  • The concentrations of AHV-2 and bacterial DNA significantly varied between the times the samples were taken, suggesting changes in the bacterial load over time.

Conclusion

  • The study concludes that feral donkeys do not appear to present a substantial risk for disease transmission to horses. However, there remains a potential risk if the donkeys carry ‘strangles’ (a bacterial infection in horses caused by Streptococcus equi) or are involved with other processes that implicate AHV-2 and Streptococcus equi.

Cite This Article

APA
Jerele S, Davis E, Mapes S, Pusterla N, Navas González FJ, Iglesias Pastrana C, Abdelfattah EM, McLean A. (2020). Survey of Serum Amyloid A and Bacterial and Viral Frequency Using qPCR Levels in Recently Captured Feral Donkeys from Death Valley National Park (California). Animals (Basel), 10(6), 1086. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10061086

Publication

Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
ISSN: 2076-2615
NlmUniqueID: 101635614
Country: Switzerland
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 6
PII: 1086

Researcher Affiliations

Jerele, Sara
  • International Animal Welfare Training Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95617, USA.
Davis, Eric
  • International Animal Welfare Training Institute, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95617, USA.
Mapes, Samantha
  • Equine Viral Disease Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95617, USA.
Pusterla, Nicola
  • Equine Viral Disease Laboratory, Department of Pathology, Microbiology, and Immunology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95617, USA.
Navas González, Francisco Javier
  • Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
  • The Worldwide Donkey Breeds Project, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
Iglesias Pastrana, Carlos
  • Department of Genetics, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
  • The Worldwide Donkey Breeds Project, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
Abdelfattah, Essam Mahmoud
  • Department of Animal Hygiene, and Veterinary Management, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Benha University, Qalubiya Governorate 13511, Egypt.
McLean, Amy
  • The Worldwide Donkey Breeds Project, Faculty of Veterinary Sciences, University of Córdoba, 14071 Córdoba, Spain.
  • Department of Animal Science, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Citations

This article has been cited 6 times.
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