A One-Year Retrospective Analysis of Viral and Parasitological Agents in Wildlife Animals Admitted to a First Aid Hospital

Pacini, Maria Irene; Mazzei, Maurizio; Sgorbini, Micaela; D’Alfonso, Rossella; Papini, Roberto Amerigo

doi:10.3390/ani13050931

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

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“…Metagenomics studies performed on rodents in China and red foxes in the Netherlands revealed novel rodent and fox astroviruses, respectively [ 31 , 32 ]. In our study, we screened a broad range of animal species using the method Chu et al [ 19 ] successfully applied for the detection of astroviruses in bats in Poland [ 18 ], in wild boars in Slovakia [ 29 ], and in different wild animals in Italy [ 33 ]. Although astroviruses were most frequently detected in rat samples, with a prevalence of 33.3%, the number of samples tested was only nine due to the low number of rat samples submitted during rabies surveillance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Our observations suggest that the astrovirus detected in a wild boar (AstV_200_2021_wb_POL) was probably transmitted across species via feed from a wild bird or poultry to a wild boar like the previously suggested interspecies transmission events of bat astroviruses via food to wild boars [ 29 ]. The canine astroviruses detected in red foxes in Poland represent the first report of astrovirus detection in foxes in Poland and the fourth report in the world following a study conducted in the Netherlands, Australia, and Italy [ 31 , 33 ]. In the Netherlands and Australia, astroviruses were detected using a metagenomics approach, whereas in Italy a broad range of primers designed by Chu et al [ 19 ] were applied, leading to the detection of AstVs in 5 out of 12 tested samples.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In our study, fox astroviruses were identified in 6 out of 144 tested red fox samples. All six sequenced astroviruses revealed a high degree of genetic identity to canine astroviruses isolated from foxes and wolves in Italy [ 33 ] and from a dog from China collected in 2020/2021, suggesting strict host specificity of astroviruses circulating in canines. Red foxes are distributed across the entire Northern Hemisphere and have a broad habitat, ranging from urban areas and farmland to remote forests; therefore, they may be a source of astrovirus infection for other members of the order Carnivora, particularly companion animals like dogs or cats living close to humans.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prevalence of Astroviruses in Different Animal Species in Poland

Kuczera,

Orłowska,

Smreczak

et al. 2024

Viruses

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Astroviruses (AstVs) are small RNA viruses characterized by a high mutation rate, the ability to recombine, and interspecies transmission, which allows them to infect a multitude of hosts including humans, companion animals, and farmed animals as well as wildlife. AstVs are stable in the environment, and their transmission is usually through the fecal–oral route or via contaminated water and food. Although direct zoonotic transmission was not confirmed, interspecies transmission events have occurred or have been indicated to occur in the past between wild and domestic animals and humans. They cause large economic losses, mainly in the poultry sector, due to gastroenteritis and mortality. In young children, they are the second most common cause of diarrhea. This study involved 166 intestine samples and pools of spleen, lymph node, and kidney samples collected from 352 wild animals, 52 pigs, and 31 companion animals. Astroviruses were detected in the intestine samples and were separately detected in pools of tissue samples prepared for individual animals using a heminested RT-PCR protocol. Amplicons were subjected to Sanger sequencing, and a phylogenetic analysis of 320 nt RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp) fragments referring to known nt sequences of astroviruses was performed. Astroviral RNA was detected in the intestine samples and/or tissue pools of red foxes (nine positive intestines and six positive tissue pools), rats (two positive intestines and three positive tissue pools), a cat (one AstV detected in an intestine sample), pigs (eight positive tissue pools), and wild boars (two positive pools of spleens, kidneys, and lymph nodes). No astroviral RNA was detected in wild mustelids, dogs, or other small wild animals including rodents. A phylogenetic analysis revealed that the astroviruses detected during this study were mostly host-specific, such as porcine, canine, and rat astroviruses that were highly homologous to the sequences of reference strains. In one of two wild boars, an AstV distinct to porcine species was found with the highest nt identity to Avastroviruses, i.e., turkey astroviruses, which suggests potential cross-species transmission of the virus, as previously described. Here, we present the first detection of astroviruses in the population of wild animals, companion animals, and pigs in Poland, confirming that astroviruses are frequent pathogens circulating in animals in the field. Our study also suggests potential cross-species transmission of Avaastrovirus to wild boars; however, further molecular characterization is needed.

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