IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library
   

 

View printer friendly
Calatayud, O.; Esper¢n, F.; Velarde, R.; Oleaga, A.; Llaneza, L.; Ribas, A.; Negre, N.; de la Torre, A.; Rodr¡guez, A.; Mill n, J.
Genetic characterization of Carnivore Parvoviruses in Spanish wildlife reveals domestic dog and cat-related sequences
2020  Transboundary and Emerging Diseases (67): 626-634

The impact of carnivore parvovirus infection on wild populations is not yet understood; disease signs are mainly developed in pups and assessing the health of litters in wild carnivores has big limitations. This study aims to shed light on the virus dynamics among wild carnivores thanks to the analysis of 213 samples collected between 1994 and 2013 in wild ecosystems from Spain. We determined the presence of carnivore parvovirus DNA by real-time PCR and sequenced the vp2 gen from 22 positive samples to characterize the strains and to perform phylogenetic analysis. The presence of carnivore parvovirus DNA was confirmed in 18% of the samples, with a higher prevalence detected in wolves (_Canis lupus signatus_, 70%). Fourteen sequences belonging to nine wolves, three Eurasian badgers (_Meles meles_), a common genet (_Genetta genetta_) and a European wildcat (_Felis silvestris_) were classified as canine parvovirus 2c (CPV-2c); five sequences from three wolves, a red fox (_Vulpes vulpes_) and a stone marten (_Martes foina_) as CPV-2b; and three sequences from a badger, a genet and a stone marten as feline parvovirus (FPV). This was the first report of a wildcat infected with a canine strain. Sequences described in this study were identical or very close related to others previously found in domestic carnivores from distant countries, suggesting that cross-species transmission takes place and that the parvovirus epidemiology in Spain, as elsewhere, could be influenced by global factors.

PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here

 

(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union)