1
|
Faehndrich M, Woelfing B, Klink JC, Roller M, Baumgärtner W, Wohlsein P, Raue K, Strube C, Ewers C, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Verspohl J, Lavazza A, Capucci L, Tomaso H, Siebert U. Pathomorphological Findings and Infectious Diseases in Selected European Brown Hare ( Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) Populations from Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Pathogens 2023; 12:1317. [PMID: 38003782 PMCID: PMC10675426 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12111317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 10/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/24/2023] [Indexed: 11/26/2023] Open
Abstract
In the northernmost German federal state Schleswig-Holstein, populations of European brown hares (Lepus europaeus Pallas, 1778) show diverse densities and varying courses over the years. To examine differences in pathomorphological findings and infectious diseases as possible reasons for varying population dynamics, we assessed 155 hunted hares from three locations in Schleswig-Holstein from 2016 to 2020. We investigated the association of location, year, age, and sex of animals to certain pathomorphological findings and infectious diseases. Frequent pathomorphological findings were intestinal parasites (63.9%), hepatitis (55.5%), nephritis (31.0%), steatitis (23.2%), enteritis (13.5%), and pneumonia (5.2%). Body condition differed significantly between locations, and the prevalence of pneumonia was significantly higher in females. Enteritis was not detected in 2019, when much more juveniles were sampled. Hepatitis and nephritis occurred significantly more often in 2016 and among adults. Additionally, more adults showed hepatitis with concurrent serotitre for European brown hare syndrome virus (EBHSV), while intestinal parasitosis as well as high excretion rates of coccidia were more common in juveniles. Sampled animals showed high infection rates with Eimeria spp. (96.1%), Trichostrongylus spp. (52.0%), Graphidium strigosum (41.2%), and a high seroprevalence (90.9%) for EBHSV, without severe symptoms. This study revealed a low prevalence of infectious pathogens, but a high prevalence of chronic inflammations of unknown origin in the tested brown hare populations. Overall, our results indicate a rather minor importance of infectious diseases for observed population dynamics of analysed hare populations in Schleswig-Holstein.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcus Faehndrich
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| | - Benno Woelfing
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| | - Jana C. Klink
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| | - Marco Roller
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| | - Wolfgang Baumgärtner
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (W.B.); (P.W.)
| | - Peter Wohlsein
- Department of Pathology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (W.B.); (P.W.)
| | - Katharina Raue
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany (C.S.)
| | - Christina Strube
- Institute for Parasitology, Centre for Infection Medicine, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany (C.S.)
| | - Christa Ewers
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (C.E.); (E.P.-B.)
| | - Ellen Prenger-Berninghoff
- Institute of Hygiene and Infectious Diseases of Animals, Justus Liebig University Giessen, 35390 Giessen, Germany; (C.E.); (E.P.-B.)
| | - Jutta Verspohl
- Institute for Microbiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany;
| | - Antonio Lavazza
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna, 25124 Brescia, Italy; (A.L.); (L.C.)
| | - Lorenzo Capucci
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell’Emilia Romagna, 25124 Brescia, Italy; (A.L.); (L.C.)
| | - Herbert Tomaso
- Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut—Federal Research Institute for Animal Health (FLI), Institute of Bacterial Infections and Zoonoses, 07743 Jena, Germany;
| | - Ursula Siebert
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, Foundation, 30559 Hannover, Germany; (M.F.); (J.C.K.); (M.R.)
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Faehndrich M, Klink JC, Roller M, Wohlsein P, Raue K, Strube C, Prenger-Berninghoff E, Ewers C, Capucci L, Lavazza A, Tomaso H, Schnitzler JG, Siebert U. Status of Infectious Diseases in Free-Ranging European Brown Hares (Lepus europaeus) Found Dead between 2017 and 2020 in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Pathogens 2023; 12. [PMID: 36839511 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens12020239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Revised: 01/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) is a quite adaptable species, but populations have been decreasing for several decades in different countries, including Germany. To investigate infectious diseases as possible influences on observed population decline in the German federal state Schleswig-Holstein, 118 deceased free-ranging European brown hares were collected between 2017 and 2020 and underwent detailed postmortem examination with extended sampling. Infectious diseases were a major cause of death (34.7%). The number of juveniles found exceeded the adult ones. The main pathomorphological findings were hepatitis (32.8%), pneumonia (22.2%), nephritis (19.1%), liver necrosis (12.9%), and enteritis (40.7%). An unusual main finding was steatitis (20.9%) of unknown origin. Animals were mainly emaciated and showed high infection rates with Eimeria spp. (91.3%) and Trichostrongylus spp. (36.2%). European Brown Hare Syndrome Virus reached an epidemic status with few fatal infections (4.2%) and high seroprevalence (64.9%), whereas the prevalence of Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease Virus 2 was very low (0.8%) in hares in Schleswig-Holstein. Pathogens such as Yersinia pseudotuberculosis (5.9%), Pasteurella multocida (0.8%), and Staphylococcus aureus (3.4%) only caused sporadic deaths. This study illustrates the wide distribution of various infectious pathogens with high mortality and even zoonotic potential. Infectious diseases need to be considered as an important influence on population dynamics in Schleswig-Holstein.
Collapse
|
3
|
Abade Dos Santos FA, Santos N, Carvalho CL, Martinez-Haro M, Gortázar C, García-Bocanegra I, Capucci L, Duarte M, Alves PC. Retrospective serological and molecular survey of myxoma or antigenically related virus in the Iberian hare, Lepus granatensis. Transbound Emerg Dis 2022; 69:3637-3650. [PMID: 36219552 PMCID: PMC10092749 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/05/2022] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The 2018 outbreak of myxomatosis in the Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis) has been hypothesized to originate from a species jump of the rabbit-associated myxoma virus (MYXV), after natural recombination with an unknown poxvirus. Iberian hares were long considered resistant to myxomatosis as no prior outbreaks were reported. To provide insights into the emergence of this recombinant virus (ha-MYXV), we investigated serum samples from 451 Iberian hares collected over two time periods almost two decades apart, 1994-1999 and 2017-2019 for the presence of antibodies and MYXV-DNA. First, we screened all serum samples using a rabbit commercial indirect ELISA (iELISA) and then tested a subset of these samples in parallel using indirect immunofluorescence test (IFT), competitive ELISA (cELISA) and qPCR targeting M000.5L/R gene conserved in MYXV and ha-MYXV. The cut-off of iELISA relative index 10 = 6.1 was selected from a semiparametric finite mixture analysis aiming to minimize the probability of false positive results. Overall, MYXV related-antibodies were detected in 57 hares (12.6%) including 38 apparently healthy hares (n = 10, sampled in 1994-1999, none MYXV-DNA positive, and n = 28 sampled in 2017-2019 of which four were also ha-MYXV-DNA positive) and 19 found-dead and ha-MYXV-DNA-positive sampled in 2018-2019. Interestingly, four seronegative hares sampled in 1997 were MYXV-DNA positive by qPCR, the result being confirmed by sequencing of three of them. For the Iberian hares hunted or live trapped (both apparently health), seroprevalence was significantly higher in 2017-2019 (13.0%, CI95% 9.2-18.2%) than in 1994-1999 (5.4%, CI95% 3.0-9.6%) (p = .009). Within the second period, seroprevalence was significantly higher in 2019 compared to 2017 (24.7 vs 1.7% considering all the sample, p = .007), and lower during the winter than the autumn (p < .001). While our molecular and serological results show that Iberian hares have been in contact with MYXV or an antigenically similar virus at least since 1996, they also show an increase in seroprevalence in 2018-2019. The remote contact with MYXV may have occurred with strains that circulated in rabbits, or with unnoticed strains already circulating in Iberian hare populations. This work strongly suggests the infection of Iberian hares with MYXV or an antigenically related virus, at least 20 years before the severe virus outbreaks were registered in 2018.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fábio A Abade Dos Santos
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Oeiras, Portugal.,Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal (CIISA), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, Portugal.,Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Portugal
| | - Nuno Santos
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.,BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Carina L Carvalho
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Monica Martinez-Haro
- Instituto Regional de Investigación y Desarrollo Agroalimentario y Forestal de Castilla-La Mancha (IRIAF). Centro de Investigación Agroambiental El Chaparrillo, Ciudad Real, Spain
| | - Christian Gortázar
- SaBio Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos IREC (UCLM & CSIC), Ciudad Real, Spain
| | | | - Lorenzo Capucci
- Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Lombardia e dell'Emilia Romagna and OIE Reference Laboratory for Rabbit Haemorrhagic Disease, Brescia, Italy
| | - Margarida Duarte
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, I.P.), Oeiras, Portugal.,Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal (CIISA), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, Portugal.,Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Portugal
| | - Paulo Célio Alves
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.,BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal.,Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade do Porto, Porto, Portugal.,EBM, Estação. Biológica de Mértola, Mértola, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Abade Dos Santos FA, Dalton KP, Carvalho CL, Casero M, Álvarez ÁL, Parra F, Duarte MD. Co-infection by classic MYXV and ha-MYXV in Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis) and European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus). Transbound Emerg Dis 2022; 69:1684-1690. [PMID: 35366052 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14540] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 03/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Myxomatosis is an emergent disease in the Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis). In this species, the disease is caused by a natural recombinant virus (ha-MYXV) identified for the first time in 2018 and has since been responsible for a large number of outbreaks in Spain and Portugal. The ha-MYXV, which harbours a 2.8 Kb insert disrupting gene M009L, can also infect and cause disease in wild and domestic rabbits, despite being less frequently identified in rabbits. During the laboratory investigations of wild leporids found dead in Portugal carried out within the scope of a Nacional Surveillance Plan (Dispatch 4757/17, MAFDR), co-infection events by classic (MYXV) and naturally recombinant (ha-MYXV) strains were detected in both, one Iberian hare and one European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus). These two cases were initially detected by a multiplex qPCR detection of MYXV and ha-MYXV, and subsequently confirmed by conventional PCR and sequencing of the M009L gene which contains a ha-MYXV specific insertion. To our knowledge, this is the first documented report of co-infection by classic MYXV and ha-MYXV strains either in Iberian hare as in European wild rabbit. It is also the first report of infection of an Iberian hare by a classic MYXV strain. These findings highlight the continuous evolution of the myxoma virus and the frequent host range changes that justify the nonstop monitoring of the wild Leporidae populations sanitary condition in the Iberian Peninsula. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fábio A Abade Dos Santos
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, IP), Av. da República, Oeiras, 2780-143, Portugal.,CIISA, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477, Portugal.,Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias (IUBA), Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.,Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Portugal
| | - Kevin P Dalton
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias (IUBA), Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Carina L Carvalho
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, IP), Av. da República, Oeiras, 2780-143, Portugal
| | - María Casero
- Wildlife Rehabilitation and Research Centre of Ria Formosa (RIAS), Ria Formosa Natural Park, Olhão, 8700-194, Portugal
| | - Ángel L Álvarez
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias (IUBA), Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - F Parra
- Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias (IUBA), Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Margarida D Duarte
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I.P. (INIAV, IP), Av. da República, Oeiras, 2780-143, Portugal.,CIISA, Centro de Investigação Interdisciplinar em Sanidade Animal, Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária, Universidade de Lisboa, Avenida da Universidade Técnica, Lisboa, 1300-477, Portugal.,Associate Laboratory for Animal and Veterinary Sciences (AL4AnimalS), Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Abade Dos Santos FA, Carvalho CL, Peleteiro MC, Parra F, Duarte MD. A Versatile qPCR for Diagnosis of Leporid Gammaherpesvirus 5 Using Evagreen ® or Taqman ® Technologies. Viruses 2021; 13:715. [PMID: 33924254 DOI: 10.3390/v13040715] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 04/13/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
In late 2019, the first herpesvirus in the genus Lepus, named leporid gammaherpesvirus 5 (LeHV-5) was described. At the time, herpetic typical lesions were observed in hares infected by the myxoma virus, which is known to induce immunosuppression. Though the real impact of LeHV-5 is still poorly understood, since it affects reproduction, it poses an additional threat to the already fragile populations of Iberian hare, demanding prevalence investigations. In this article, we describe the first quantitative molecular method for LeHV-5 detection, using either Taqman or the EvaGreen systems. This method has excellent sensitivity and specificity, it is able to detect 2.1 copies of LeHV-5 DNA and was validated with an internal control targeting the 18S rRNA gene, allowing monitoring extraction and PCR amplification efficiencies.
Collapse
|
6
|
Abade Dos Santos FA, Carvalho CL, Monteiro M, Carvalho P, Mendonça P, Peleteiro MDC, Duarte MD. Recombinant myxoma virus infection associated with high mortality in rabbit farming (Oryctolagus cuniculus). Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 68:2616-2621. [PMID: 33119958 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2020] [Revised: 10/24/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Myxomatosis is an emergent disease in the Iberian hare, having been considered a rabbit disease for decades. Genome sequencing of the strains obtained from Iberian hares with myxomatosis showed these to be distinct from the classical ones that circulated in rabbits since the virus introduction in Europe, in 1952. The main genomic difference in this natural recombinant hare myxoma virus (ha-MYXV) is the presence of an additional 2.8 kb region disrupting the M009L gene and adding a set of genes homologous to the myxoma virus (MYXV) genes M060R, M061R, M064R, M065R and M066R originated in Poxviruses. After the emergence of this recombinant virus (ha-MYXV) in hares, in the summer of 2019, the ha-MYXV was not detected in rabbit surveys, suggesting an apparent species segregation with the MYXV classic strains persistently circulating in rabbits. Recently, a group of six unvaccinated European rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus cuniculus) from a backyard rabbitry in South Portugal developed signs of myxomatosis (anorexia, dyspnoea, oedema of eyelids, head, ears, external genitals and anus, and skin myxomas in the base of the ears). Five of them died within 24-48 hr of symptom onset. Molecular analysis revealed that only the recombinant MYXV was present. This is the first documented report of a recombinant hare myxoma virus in farm rabbits associated with high mortality, which increases the concern for the future of both the Iberian hare and wild rabbits and questions the safety of the rabbit industry. This highlights the urgent need to evaluate the efficacy of available vaccines against this new MYXV.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fábio A Abade Dos Santos
- INIAV, I.P. National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinarian Research, Oeiras, Portugal.,Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Lisbon, CIISA, Lisboa, Portugal.,Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias (IUBA), Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Carina L Carvalho
- INIAV, I.P. National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinarian Research, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Madalena Monteiro
- INIAV, I.P. National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinarian Research, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paulo Carvalho
- INIAV, I.P. National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinarian Research, Oeiras, Portugal
| | - Paula Mendonça
- INIAV, I.P. National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinarian Research, Oeiras, Portugal
| | | | - Margarida D Duarte
- INIAV, I.P. National Institute of Agrarian and Veterinarian Research, Oeiras, Portugal.,Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Animal Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Lisbon, CIISA, Lisboa, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
García-Bocanegra I, Camacho-Sillero L, Caballero-Gómez J, Agüero M, Gómez-Guillamón F, Manuel Ruiz-Casas J, Manuel Díaz-Cao J, García E, José Ruano M, de la Haza R. Monitoring of emerging myxoma virus epidemics in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) in Spain, 2018-2020. Transbound Emerg Dis 2020; 68:1275-1282. [PMID: 32786107 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2020] [Revised: 08/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Myxomatosis is an infectious disease caused by the myxoma virus (MYXV), which has very high mortality rates in European wild rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus). While sporadic cases of myxomatosis have also been reported in some hare species, these lagomorphs are considered to have a low susceptibility to MYXV infection. In the present study, we describe the spatiotemporal evolution and main epidemiological findings of novel hare MYXV (ha-MYXV or MYXV-Tol) epidemics in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis) in Spain. In the period 2018-2020, a total of 487 hares from 372 affected areas were confirmed to be MYXV-infected by PCR. ha-MYXV outbreaks were detected in most of the Spanish regions where the Iberian hare is present. The spatial distribution was not homogeneous, with most outbreaks concentrated in the southern and central parts of Spain. Consecutive outbreaks reported in the last two years suggest endemic circulation in Spain of this emerging virus. A retrospective study carried out just after the first epidemic period (2018-2019) revealed that the virus could have been circulating since June 2018. The number of outbreaks started to rise in July, peaked during the first half of August and October and then decreased sharply until January 2019. The apparent mean mortality rate was 55.4% (median: 70%). The results indicated high susceptibility of the Iberian hare to ha-MYXV infection, but apparent resistance in the sympatric hare species present in Spain and less infectivity in European rabbits. The novel ha-MYXV has had significant consequences on the health status of Iberian hare populations in Spain, which is of animal health and conservation concern. The present study contributes to a better understanding of ha-MYXV emergence and will provide valuable information for the development of control strategies. Further research is warranted to assess the impact of this emerging virus on wild lagomorph populations and to elucidate its ecological implications for Iberian Mediterranean ecosystems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Leonor Camacho-Sillero
- Programa Vigilancia Epidemiológica Fauna Silvestre (PVE), Consejería Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible, Junta de Andalucía, Málaga, Spain
| | - Javier Caballero-Gómez
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.,Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Grupo de Virología Clínica y Zoonosis, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Reina Sofía, Universidad de Córdoba (UCO), Córdoba, Spain
| | - Montserrat Agüero
- Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria (LCV), Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, , Madrid, Spain
| | - Félix Gómez-Guillamón
- Programa Vigilancia Epidemiológica Fauna Silvestre (PVE), Consejería Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible, Junta de Andalucía, Málaga, Spain
| | - Juan Manuel Ruiz-Casas
- Consejería de Agricultura, Agua y Desarrollo Rural, Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Mancha, Toledo, Spain
| | - José Manuel Díaz-Cao
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Facultad de Veterinaria, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Elena García
- Área de Epidemiología, Subdirección General de Sanidad e Higiene Animal y Trazabilidad, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Madrid, Spain
| | - María José Ruano
- Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria (LCV), Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, , Madrid, Spain
| | - Rafael de la Haza
- Área de Epidemiología, Subdirección General de Sanidad e Higiene Animal y Trazabilidad, Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, Madrid, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Naldi L, Greco I, Ferretti M, Zaccaroni M. Density Estimates and Habitat Preferences of the European Hare (Lepus europaeus) on Mountainous Areas in Italy. Mammal Study 2020. [DOI: 10.3106/ms2019-0057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Naldi
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Ilaria Greco
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | - Marco Ferretti
- Regione Toscana, Corso Gramsci 110, IT-51100 Pistoia, Italy
| | - Marco Zaccaroni
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
García-Bocanegra I, Camacho-Sillero L, Risalde MA, Dalton KP, Caballero-Gómez J, Agüero M, Zorrilla I, Gómez-Guillamón F. First outbreak of myxomatosis in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis). Transbound Emerg Dis 2019; 66:2204-2208. [PMID: 31293076 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.13289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2019] [Revised: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Myxomatosis is an infectious disease caused by myxoma virus (MYXV; genus Leporipoxvirus), which affects the European wild rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) and sporadically brown hares (Lepus europaeus). Here, we describe the first outbreak of myxomatosis in Iberian hares (Lepus granatensis). Between mid-July and the end of September 2018, around 530 dead animals were detected in Iberian hare populations in southern Spain. The apparent mean mortality rate was 56.7%, and the estimated mean case fatality rate was 69.2%. Histopathological and molecular results confirmed MYXV infections in all hares analysed. To the authors' knowledge, this is the first myxomatosis outbreak causing a high mortality in hares and the first detailed characterization of a myxomatosis outbreak in the Iberian hare. The absence of cases in sympatric wild rabbits suggests differences in the susceptibility between both lagomorph species to the virus strain implicated in the outbreak. After the first case, the number of affected areas increased sharply affecting most of the Iberian Peninsula where the Iberian hare is present. Further studies are required to elucidate the origin of the implicated MYXV strain as well as to assess the impact of this outbreak on the Iberian hare populations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Leonor Camacho-Sillero
- Programa de Vigilancia Epidemiológica de la Fauna Silvestre en Andalucía (PVE), Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible, Junta de Andalucía, Málaga, Spain
| | - Maria A Risalde
- Departamento de Anatomía y Anatomía Patológica Comparadas, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Kevin P Dalton
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Instituto Universitario de Biotecnología de Asturias, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
| | - Javier Caballero-Gómez
- Departamento de Sanidad Animal, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain.,Unidad de Enfermedades Infecciosas, Grupo de Virología Clínica y Zoonosis, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Reina Sofía, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Montserrat Agüero
- Laboratorio Central de Veterinaria (LCV), Ministerio de Agricultura y Pesca, Alimentación y Medio Ambiente, Madrid, Spain
| | - Irene Zorrilla
- Centro de Análisis y Diagnóstico de la Fauna Silvestre en Andalucía, Agencia de Medio Ambiente y Agua M.P., Junta de Andalucía, Málaga, Spain
| | - Félix Gómez-Guillamón
- Programa de Vigilancia Epidemiológica de la Fauna Silvestre en Andalucía (PVE), Consejería de Agricultura, Ganadería, Pesca y Desarrollo Sostenible, Junta de Andalucía, Málaga, Spain
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Affiliation(s)
- J. Cerri
- Istituto di Management; Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna; Pisa Italy
| | - M. Ferretti
- Regione Toscana; Corso Gramsci; Pistoia Italy
| | - S. Bertolino
- Department of Life Sciences and Systems Biology; Torino Italy
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sokos C, Giannakopoulos A, Papaspyropoulos K, Touloudi A, Birtsas P, Spyrou V, Valiakos G, Tsokana C, Sfougaris A, Billinis C. Hare harvest and EBHS virus prevalence in differently populated Mediterranean ecotopes. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-016-1047-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|
12
|
Sokos C, Birtsas P, Papaspyropoulos KG, Giannakopoulos A, Athanasiou LV, Manolakou K, Spyrou V, Billinis C. Conservation considerations for a management measure: an integrated approach to hare rearing and release. Environ Manage 2015; 55:19-30. [PMID: 25344659 DOI: 10.1007/s00267-014-0388-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2014] [Accepted: 10/11/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Wildlife managers are challenged with the task of deciding whether a management measure is appropriate or not, and furthermore they have to convince others about the merits of their decision. Population decline of some hare species (genus Lepus) has resulted in their Red Listing and conservation measures are being undertaken. Release or restocking is a frequent measure in some countries, and thousands of hares are released annually, mainly for hunting purposes. These hares can be obtained by either intensive or extensive rearing or translocation of the wild animals. Each method entails difficulties and different survival rates in the wild. Survival rates in the wild are low for hares intensively reared in cages but are higher for hares reared extensively in enclosures and wild translocated hares. The benefits of the hare release practice are significantly lower than the action's implementation cost. Hare releases have not increased significantly the wild hare population or the hunting harvest in areas where the practice has been applied. The risk of genetic and evolutionary degradation and pathogen transmission is possible in wild populations. The need for wise management of this practice is evident and the term 'Permitted Transferring Units' should be introduced to denote regions where hares should not be transferred for rearing and release.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christos Sokos
- Laboratory of Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Thessaly, Karditsa, Greece,
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Mengoni C, Mucci N, Randi E. Genetic diversity and no evidences of recent hybridization in the endemic Italian hare (Lepus corsicanus). CONSERV GENET 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-014-0674-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
|
14
|
Smith S, de Bellocq JG, Suchentrunk F, Schaschl H. Evolutionary genetics of MHC class II beta genes in the brown hare, Lepus europaeus. Immunogenetics 2011; 63:743-51. [PMID: 21688061 PMCID: PMC3190090 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-011-0539-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2011] [Accepted: 05/19/2011] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are attractive candidates for investigating the link between adaptive variation and individual fitness. High levels of diversity at the MHC are thought to be the result of parasite-mediated selection and there is growing evidence to support this theory. Most studies, however, target just a single gene within the MHC and infer any evidence of selection to be representative of the entire gene region. Here we present data from three MHC class II beta genes (DPB, DQB, and DRB) for brown hares in two geographic regions and compare them against previous results from a class II alpha-chain gene (DQA). We report moderate levels of diversity and high levels of population differentiation in the DQB and DRB genes (Na = 11, Dest = 0.071 and Na = 15, Dest = 0.409, respectively), but not for the DPB gene (Na = 4, Dest = 0.00). We also detected evidence of positive selection within the peptide binding region of the DQB and DRB genes (95% CI, ω > 1.0) but found no signature of selection for DPB. Mutation and recombination were both found to be important processes shaping the evolution of the class II genes. Our findings suggest that while diversifying selection is a significant contributor to the generally high levels of MHC diversity, it does not act in a uniform manner across the entire MHC class II region. The beta-chain genes that we have characterized provide a valuable set of MHC class II markers for future studies of the evolution of adaptive variation in Leporids.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Steve Smith
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstr. 1, 1160 Vienna, Austria,
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
15
|
Campos JL, Bellocq JGD, Schaschl H, Suchentrunk F. MHC class II DQA gene variation across cohorts of brown hares (Lepus europaeus) from eastern Austria: Testing for different selection hypotheses. Mamm Biol 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.mambio.2010.05.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
|
16
|
Goüy de Bellocq J, Suchentrunk F, Baird SJE, Schaschl H. Evolutionary history of an MHC gene in two leporid species: characterisation of Mhc-DQA in the European brown hare and comparison with the European rabbit. Immunogenetics 2008; 61:131-44. [PMID: 19104797 DOI: 10.1007/s00251-008-0349-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2008] [Accepted: 12/02/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
We surveyed the genetic diversity of the expressed major histocompatibility complex class II DQA locus in natural populations of European brown hares, Lepus europaeus, from Austria and Belgium (267 individuals in total). Based on cDNA sequences, we designed hare-specific primers to amplify the highly variable second exon of the DQA gene. Using cloning-sequencing methodology and capillary electrophoresis single-strand conformation polymorphism, we found ten alleles of the DQA exon 2 locus across these two European regions, of which eight are described for the first time. To search for signals of selection and recombination in the evolution of the DQA gene within the leporids, we augmented our sample with orthologous DQA alleles from the European rabbit, Oryctolagus cuniculus, in order to carry out a species level, species pairwise comparison. We found evidence of recombination in the history of the DQA sequences in leporids with some recombinant alleles bridging the species divide. In both species, selection on peptide binding site codons can be detected, though stronger for the rabbit. This result suggests that there may be a differential selection pressure in the deeper evolutionary history of these two species due to differences in several demographic and ecological traits likely subjecting them to differential selection by parasites. Finally, evolutionary relationships show a widespread and statistically significant intermingling of alleles from the two species. The many macroparasites shared between hares and rabbits may explain this pattern of trans-species polymorphism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joëlle Goüy de Bellocq
- Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
De Bosschere H, Wang Z, Orlandi PA. First Diagnosis of Encephalitozoon intestinalis and E. Hellem in a European Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) with Kidney Lesions. Zoonoses Public Health 2007; 54:131-4. [PMID: 17456143 DOI: 10.1111/j.1863-2378.2007.01034.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Encephalitozoon intestinalis and Encephalitozoon hellem were diagnosed in the kidneys of a free-ranging European brown hare (Lepus europaeus) with multifocal wedge-shaped chronic interstitial nephritis using real-time PCR and microarray. This is the first description of these microsporidia species in a European brown hare, which are both potential zoonotic agents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H De Bosschere
- Medical Laboratory Bruyland, Veterinary Section, Meiweg 1a, B-8500 Kortrijk, Belgium.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|