Feline Immunodeficiency Virus Cross-Species Transmission: Implications for Emergence of New Lentiviral Infections

Abstract

Owing to a complex history of host-parasite coevolution, lentiviruses exhibit a high degree of species specificity. Given the well-documented viral archeology of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) emergence following human exposures to simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), an understanding of processes that promote successful cross-species lentiviral transmissions is highly relevant. We previously reported natural cross-species transmission of a subtype of feline immunodeficiency virus, puma lentivirus A (PLVA), between bobcats (Lynx rufus) and mountain lions (Puma concolor) for a small number of animals in California and Florida. In this study, we investigate host-specific selection pressures, within-host viral fitness, and inter-versus intraspecies transmission patterns among a larger collection of PLV isolates from free-ranging bobcats and mountain lions. Analyses of proviral and viral RNA levels demonstrate that PLVA fitness is severely restricted in mountain lions compared to that in bobcats. We document evidence of diversifying selection in three of six PLVA genomes from mountain lions, but we did not detect selection among 20 PLVA isolates from bobcats. These findings support the hypothesis that PLVA is a bobcat-adapted virus which is less fit in mountain lions and under intense selection pressure in the novel host. Ancestral reconstruction of transmission events reveals that intraspecific PLVA transmission has occurred among panthers (Puma concolor coryi) in Florida following the initial cross-species infection from bobcats. In contrast, interspecific transmission from bobcats to mountain lions predominates in California. These findings document outcomes of cross-species lentiviral transmission events among felids that compare to the emergence of HIV from nonhuman primates.IMPORTANCE Cross-species transmission episodes can be singular, dead-end events or can result in viral replication and spread in the new species. The factors that determine which outcome will occur are complex, and the risk of new virus emergence is therefore difficult to predict. We used molecular techniques to evaluate the transmission, fitness, and adaptation of puma lentivirus A (PLVA) between bobcats and mountain lions in two geographic regions. Our findings illustrate that mountain lion exposure to PLVA is relatively common but does not routinely result in communica-

Transmission pathways and spillover of an erythrocytic bacterial pathogen from domestic cats to wild felids

“…While it is possible that predator and prey species exchange isolates via blood-feeding arthropod vectors, the results from our phylogeny and ancestral state reconstruction show this is unlikely given the evidence supporting unidirectional transmission. Another reason for our inability to reject these models may simply be a weaker signal with respect to cross-species trans- The emergent phylogenetic pattern of CMhm genotypes in pumas and bobcats is similar to that of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV; Franklin et al, 2007;Lee et al, 2016) and gammaherpesvirus (GHV; Troyer et al, 2014), viral infections of North American felids transmitted through blood-to-blood contact. In recent phylogenetic analyses of these pathogens, several genotypes of each virus exist, with one specific to pumas and another shared between pumas and bobcats (Lee et al, 2016;Troyer et al, 2014).…”

“…Additionally, nonfatal cross-species infections of feline immunodeficiency virus have occurred between bobcats and pumas (Franklin et al, 2007;Lee et al, 2014Lee et al, , 2016, and feline gammaherpesvirus from bobcats has been identified as the predominant subtype in pumas (Troyer et al, 2014). It is possible that predator-driven pathogen exposure is the common mechanism of cross-species transmission underlying these events (Lee et al, 2016). Interspecific killing and predation among felids are well-documented, with larger cats typically killing smaller ones (Cashman, Peirce, & Krausman, 1992;Koehler & Hornocker, 1991;Palomares & Caro, 1999).…”

Synergistic China–US Ecological Research is Essential for Global Emerging Infectious Disease Preparedness

“…An important step in the right direction was the Ecology and Evolution of Infectious Diseases (EEID) program through the NSF's announcement in August 2018, of the addition of the National Natural Science Foundation of China as a new international collaborative partner. Through a relatively modest government investment of $275 million USD (including contributions from foreign partners) since 2000, this program has funded over 150 individual projects and led to some key discoveries that have greatly advanced our understanding and prediction of EID spillover, amplification and spread (Lloyd-Smith et al 2005;Kilpatrick et al 2006;Gilbert et al 2008;Chiu et al 2019;Lee et al 2017;Carver et al 2016;Coffey et al 2008). Continuation of this program and further collaborative funding efforts between the USA and China are needed.…”

Louse flies of Eleonora’s falcons that also feed on their prey are evolutionary dead‐end hosts for blood parasites

“…Host shifts are widespread across parasite taxa, although the factors that determine the success or failure of these events are complex and strongly dependent on ecological (e.g., climate, geographical, or vector‐imposed barriers) and finely tuned parasite/host‐related processes, such as host specificity and parasite adaptability, as well as host immune mechanisms (Gager, Del Rosario Loaiza, Dearborn, & Bermingham, ; Lee et al, ; Moens et al, ; Sieber & Gudelj, ).…”