Feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopard
Abstract Feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) is a common causative agent of domestic cats’ rhinotracheitis in domestic cats, and it increasingly threatens wild felids worldwide. The endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) belongs to the family Felidae, and it is the top predator on the Tibetan Platea...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08994-4 |
| _version_ | 1817976246107111424 |
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| author | Qiaoxing Wu Hongchao Wu Shunfu He Yuxiu Liu Yalei Chen Xinzhang Qi Xiangyang Gu Yifan Wen Xuelin Jin Yipeng Jin Kegong Tian |
| author_facet | Qiaoxing Wu Hongchao Wu Shunfu He Yuxiu Liu Yalei Chen Xinzhang Qi Xiangyang Gu Yifan Wen Xuelin Jin Yipeng Jin Kegong Tian |
| author_sort | Qiaoxing Wu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) is a common causative agent of domestic cats’ rhinotracheitis in domestic cats, and it increasingly threatens wild felids worldwide. The endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) belongs to the family Felidae, and it is the top predator on the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report the identification and isolation of FHV-1 from three dead captive snow leopards that presented with sneezing and rhinorrhea. To explore the relationship between FHV-1 and their deaths, organs and nasal swabs were collected for histopathology, viral isolation and sequence analysis. The results revealed that all three snow leopards were infected with FHV-1. The first animal died primarily of cerebral infarction and secondary non-suppurative meningoencephalitis that was probably caused by FHV-1. The second animal died mainly of renal failure accompanied by interstitial pneumonia caused by FHV-1. The cause of death for the third animal was likely related to the concurrent reactivation of a latent FHV-1 infection. The gD and gE gene sequence alignment of the isolated FHV-1 isolate strain revealed that the virus likely originated from a domestic cat. It was found that FHV-1 infection can cause different lesions in snow leopards than in domestic cats and is associated with high risk of disease in wild felids. This suggests that there should be increased focus on protecting wild felids against FHV-1 infections originating from domestic cats. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:01:03Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-36f350e45b75427fa96cb0cc5a410444 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T22:01:03Z |
| publishDate | 2022-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-36f350e45b75427fa96cb0cc5a4104442022-12-22T02:28:06ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-04-0112111010.1038/s41598-022-08994-4Feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopardQiaoxing Wu0Hongchao Wu1Shunfu He2Yuxiu Liu3Yalei Chen4Xinzhang Qi5Xiangyang Gu6Yifan Wen7Xuelin Jin8Yipeng Jin9Kegong Tian10Shaanxi Institute of ZoologyCollege of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityQinghai-Tibet Plateau Wild ZooCollege of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityNational Research Center for Veterinary MedicineQinghai-Tibet Plateau Wild ZooHuadong Medicine Co., LtdChengdu Research Base of Giant Panda BreedingShaanxi Institute of ZoologyShaanxi Institute of ZoologyCollege of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Henan Agricultural UniversityAbstract Feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) is a common causative agent of domestic cats’ rhinotracheitis in domestic cats, and it increasingly threatens wild felids worldwide. The endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) belongs to the family Felidae, and it is the top predator on the Tibetan Plateau. Here we report the identification and isolation of FHV-1 from three dead captive snow leopards that presented with sneezing and rhinorrhea. To explore the relationship between FHV-1 and their deaths, organs and nasal swabs were collected for histopathology, viral isolation and sequence analysis. The results revealed that all three snow leopards were infected with FHV-1. The first animal died primarily of cerebral infarction and secondary non-suppurative meningoencephalitis that was probably caused by FHV-1. The second animal died mainly of renal failure accompanied by interstitial pneumonia caused by FHV-1. The cause of death for the third animal was likely related to the concurrent reactivation of a latent FHV-1 infection. The gD and gE gene sequence alignment of the isolated FHV-1 isolate strain revealed that the virus likely originated from a domestic cat. It was found that FHV-1 infection can cause different lesions in snow leopards than in domestic cats and is associated with high risk of disease in wild felids. This suggests that there should be increased focus on protecting wild felids against FHV-1 infections originating from domestic cats.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08994-4 |
| spellingShingle | Qiaoxing Wu Hongchao Wu Shunfu He Yuxiu Liu Yalei Chen Xinzhang Qi Xiangyang Gu Yifan Wen Xuelin Jin Yipeng Jin Kegong Tian Feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopard Scientific Reports |
| title | Feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopard |
| title_full | Feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopard |
| title_fullStr | Feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopard |
| title_full_unstemmed | Feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopard |
| title_short | Feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopard |
| title_sort | feline herpesvirus infection and pathology in captive snow leopard |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-08994-4 |
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