Signs Observed Among Animal Species Infected with Raccoon Rabies Variant Virus, Massachusetts, USA, 1992–2010

Wang, Xingtai; Werner, Barbara G.; Smole, Sandra; Pani, Vasil; Han, Lijin

doi:10.3390/ani1040396

Cited by 2 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 6 publications

(4 reference statements)

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“…() reported that the biting behaviour of rabid dogs was highly variable, highlighting that a small number of individuals can disproportionately drive rabies transmission. However, recent studies (Tepsumethanon et al., ; Wang et al., ) have cast doubt on the relationship between aggression and rabies infection in pets (particularly cats and dogs).…”

Section: Rabiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Canine Rabies inAustralia: A Review of Preparedness and Research Needs

Sparkes

Fleming

Ballard

et al. 2014

Zoonoses and Public Health

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Australia is unique as a populated continent in that canine rabies is exotic, with only one likely incursion in 1867. This is despite the presence of a widespread free-ranging dog population, which includes the naturalized dingo, feral domestic dogs and dingo-dog cross-breeds. To Australia's immediate north, rabies has recently spread within the Indonesian archipelago, with outbreaks occurring in historically free islands to the east including Bali, Flores, Ambon and the Tanimbar Islands. Australia depends on strict quarantine protocols to prevent importation of a rabid animal, but the risk of illegal animal movements by fishing and recreational vessels circumventing quarantine remains. Predicting where rabies will enter Australia is important, but understanding dog population dynamics and interactions, including contact rates in and around human populations, is essential for rabies preparedness. The interactions among and between Australia's large populations of wild, free-roaming and restrained domestic dogs require quantification for rabies incursions to be detected and controlled. The imminent risk of rabies breaching Australian borders makes the development of disease spread models that will assist in the deployment of cost-effective surveillance, improve preventive strategies and guide disease management protocols vitally important. Here, we critically review Australia's preparedness for rabies, discuss prevailing assumptions and models, identify knowledge deficits in free-roaming dog ecology relating to rabies maintenance and speculate on the likely consequences of endemic rabies for Australia.

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Section: Rabiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Other studies have continued to highlight the relationship between rabid wildlife and aggressive behaviour (Rosatte et al., ; Wang et al., ,b, ). However, only suspect rabid animals were included in these studies, and as such, aggressive behaviour of wild animals may be over reported compared with clinical signs of dumb rabies (i.e.…”

Section: Rabiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Canine Rabies inAustralia: A Review of Preparedness and Research Needs

Sparkes

Fleming

Ballard

et al. 2014

Zoonoses and Public Health

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“…Additionally, raccoons are known hosts for rabies and were recently shown to still be the primary host species for this disease in the USA ( 24 ), despite massive rabies bait vaccinations campaigns. Interestingly, as both rabies and CDV can present with neurological signs (including ataxia and disorientation) ( 25 ), it could be difficult to distinguish these diseases at first sight. A recent report additionally indicated that raccoons thought to be drunk from eating fermented crab apples were actually sick with distemper.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Inoculation of raccoons with a wild-type-based recombinant canine distemper virus results in viremia, lymphopenia, fever, and widespread histological lesions

Roelofs,

Schmitz,

van Amerongen

et al. 2023

mSphere

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Raccoons are naturally susceptible to canine distemper virus (CDV) infection and can be a potential source of spill-over events. CDV is a highly contagious morbillivirus that infects multiple species of carnivores and omnivores, resulting in severe and often fatal disease. Here, we used a recombinant CDV (rCDV) based on a full-genome sequence detected in a naturally infected raccoon to perform pathogenesis studies in raccoons. Five raccoons were inoculated intratracheally with a recombinant virus engineered to express a fluorescent reporter protein, and extensive virological, serological, histological, and immunohistochemical assessments were performed at different time points post inoculation. rCDV-infected white blood cells were detected as early as 4 days post inoculation (dpi). Raccoon necropsies at 6 and 8 dpi revealed replication in the lymphoid tissues, preceding spread into peripheral tissues observed during necropsies at 21 dpi. Whereas lymphocytes, and to a lesser extent myeloid cells, were the main target cells of CDV at early time points, CDV additionally targeted epithelia at 21 dpi. At this later time point, CDV-infected cells were observed throughout the host. We observed lymphopenia and lymphocyte depletion from lymphoid tissues after CDV infection, in the absence of detectable CDV neutralizing antibodies and an impaired ability to clear CDV, indicating that the animals were severely immunosuppressed. The use of a wild-type-based recombinant virus in a natural host species infection study allowed systematic and sensitive assessment of antigen detection by immunohistochemistry, enabling further comparative pathology studies of CDV infection in different species. IMPORTANCE Expansion of the human interface supports increased interactions between humans and peridomestic species like raccoons. Raccoons are highly susceptible to canine distemper virus (CDV) and are considered an important target species. Spill-over events are increasingly likely, potentially resulting in fatal CDV infections in domestic and free ranging carnivores. CDV also poses a threat for (non-human) primates, as massive outbreaks in macaque colonies were reported. CDV pathogenesis was studied by experimental inoculation of several species, but pathogenesis in raccoons was not properly studied. Recently, we generated a recombinant virus based on a full-genome sequence detected in a naturally infected raccoon. Here, we studied CDV pathogenesis in its natural host species and show that distemper completely overwhelms the immune system and spreads to virtually all tissues, including the central nervous system. Despite this, raccoons survived up to 21 d post inoculation with long-term shedding, supporting an important role of raccoons as host species for CDV.

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Signs Observed Among Animal Species Infected with Raccoon Rabies Variant Virus, Massachusetts, USA, 1992–2010

Cited by 2 publications

References 6 publications

Canine Rabies inAustralia: A Review of Preparedness and Research Needs

Canine Rabies inAustralia: A Review of Preparedness and Research Needs

Inoculation of raccoons with a wild-type-based recombinant canine distemper virus results in viremia, lymphopenia, fever, and widespread histological lesions

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